Mumbai: The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) will take up 14 working papers submitted by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) at its 42nd Assembly in Montreal this month.
These papers cover aviation safety, sustainability, and efficiency, with a strong focus on boosting Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production, reaffirming CORSIA as the sole global climate measure, safeguarding critical radio frequencies amid 5G rollouts, and addressing issues such as accident reporting, pilot retirement age, and aviation taxation.
“It is critical that we secure stronger support for SAF production and CORSIA as key enablers of aviation’s commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Equally, we need agreement to follow the principles and provisions of the Chicago Convention to avoid patchworks of debilitating tax measures and passenger rights regulations. And we must shore up safety with timely accident reports, mitigations for GNSS interference, and preservation of critical radio-frequency spectrum,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.
The ICAO Assembly, held every three years, is a pivotal event where global standards for aviation are set. These standards, developed with input from airline operators and ICAO Member States, are essential for ensuring safe, efficient, and sustainable aviation operations worldwide. Among the key topics IATA will present involve Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Production. IATA urged countries (States) to support the creation of a functioning SAF market and to provide economic incentives for fuel producers.
IATA also called for reaffirmation of CORSIA (Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation) as the sole economic measure for managing aviation’s climate impact.
“CORSIA is expected to generate up to $17 billion in climate finance by 2035. However, states continue to create or augment aviation taxes and schemes (national and regional) that undercut CORSIA’s credibility, and which do little or nothing to further sustainability. Moreover, only Guyana has issued CORSIA Eligible Emissions Units (EEUs) which generate climate finance and enable airlines to fulfil their CORSIA obligations,” said IATA in a press statement.
