IATA Outlines Roadmap for Achieving Net Zero by 2050

If the airline industry is to truly reach net zero by 2050, it will take not only a concerted and collaborative effort, but also a thoughtfully planned path forward.

It’s a reality that's not lost on the industry’s many stakeholders and key players.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has just issued a series of proposed roadmaps that are designed to help steer the industry toward this critically important goal.

The newly released documents provide a step-by-step list of what the organization calls “critical actions and dependencies” that will be required if aviation is to meet its 2050 target for zero carbon emissions. The roadmaps address everything from aircraft technology to energy infrastructure, operations, finance, and even the policy considerations that will help lead to net zero.

The policy initiatives lay the foundation on which many of the needed innovations and actions will rest, IATA explained in a statement. And the hope is that the roadmaps will serve as a critical reference point for policy makers.

“The roadmaps are the first detailed assessment of the key steps necessary to accelerate the transition to net zero by 2050. Together, they show a clear direction and will evolve as we dig deeper to set interim milestones on the way to net zero,” Willie Walsh, IATA’s director general, said in a statement.

Walsh also emphasized that the roadmaps are not simply for the use of airlines. Governments, suppliers, and financiers cannot be spectators in the aviation industry’s decarbonization journey, he said. They too “have skin in the game,” said Walsh.

“The roadmaps are a call to action for all aviation's stakeholders to deliver the tools needed to make this fundamental transformation of aviation a success with policies and products fit for a net-zero world,” said Walsh.

Green Airplane, symbolizing sustainable travel (photo via ALG Vacations) (Photo Credit: (photo via ALG Vacations))

The Steps Needed to Achieve Net Zero

The process of creating the new road maps included a thorough peer-to-peer review. Modeling technology provided by the Air Transportation Systems Laboratory at University College London (UCL), was also used in creating the maps, in order to calculate the emission reductions needed for each technology in the aviation industry. The maps resulting road maps cover everything from the aircraft technology that will be needed to achieve net zero, to the energy and fuel infrastructure.

Highlights of each roadmap include:

• Aircraft Technology: The development of more efficient aircraft and engines. Particularly important are the steps needed to enable aircraft powered by 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), hydrogen or batteries. All development milestones are backed-up by announced investment and demonstrator programs, IATA said. New engines, aerodynamics, aircraft structures, and flight systems are also included in the road maps.
• Energy and New Fuels Infrastructure: The focus is on the fuels and new energy carrier infrastructure upstream from airports needed to facilitate the use of aircraft powered by SAF or hydrogen. Renewable energy plays a vital role in meeting the aviation sector's energy demand, and the roadmap outlines milestones to enable the necessary infrastructure developments.

• Operations: There are many opportunities to reduce emissions and improve energy efficiency by improving the way existing aircraft are operated, according to IATA. Automation, big data management, and the integration of new technologies are key enablers for optimizing air traffic management and enhancing the overall efficiency of the air transportation system.

• Policy: There needs to be globally aligned strategic policies that provide incentives and support for the aviation industry's transition to a net-zero future. IATA has issued calls on this front before, urging governments to adopt mandates that support the transition to SAF. “As with all other successful energy transitions, collaboration between governments and industry stakeholders is crucial in creating the necessary framework to achieve the decarbonization goals,” said IATA.

• Finance: How to finance the cumulative $5 trillion needed for aviation to achieve net zero by 2050?  The answer to this question includes technological advancements, infrastructure developments, and operational improvements, said IATA.


 

The challenges the aviation industry is currently experiencing as it seeks to ramp up SAF production offer an important example of why such road maps may be helpful, IATA said. As a drop-in solution, SAF is expected to deliver about 62 percent of carbon mitigation needed to achieve net zero by 2050. "But even though SAF is expected to be fully implementable with future aircraft fleet, it still has major inter-dependencies on policy, aircraft technology, energy infrastructure, financing, and operations for which these roadmaps are critical,” the organization said.

The roadmap, meanwhile, show stakeholders where to focus their efforts, Marie Owens Thomsen, SVP sustainability and chief economist for IATA, said in a statement.

Owens Thomsen added that there are two certainties. One is that by 2050, the industry needs to be at net zero carbon emissions. And secondly, the steps to get there, which are outlined in the newly released IATA roadmaps, will likely evolve as the industry’s expertise grows.

“Policy is particularly important early on as it, to a large extent, sets the scene for private sector investors to move.  With that, the private sector can decarbonize at scale and with speed," said Owens Thomsen.

For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter here.

Topics From This Article to Explore