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The International Air Transport Association (IATA) called for governments to adopt a Long Term Aspirational Goal to decarbonise aviation at the 41st Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) later this year.
The call came at the 78th IATA Annual General Meeting (AGM) and World Air Transport Summit (WATS) where airlines are mapping out the pathway to the industry’s commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 in line with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C goal.
“The decarbonisation of the global economy will require investment across countries and across decades, particularly in the transition away from fossil fuels. Stability of policy matters. At the IATA AGM in October 2021, IATA member airlines took the monumental decision to commit to achieving net zero emissions by 2050. As we move from commitment to action, it is critical that the industry is supported by governments with policies that are focused on the same decarbonisation goal,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.
“Achieving net zero emissions will be a huge challenge. The projected scale of the industry in 2050 will require the mitigation of 1.8 gigatons of carbon. Achieving that will require investments across the value chain running into the trillions of dollars. Investment at that magnitude must be supported by globally consistent government policies that help deliver the decarbonisation ambition, take into account differing levels of development, and do not distort competition,” said Walsh.
“I am optimistic that governments will support the industry’s ambition with an agreement on a Long Term Aspirational Goal at the upcoming ICAO Assembly. People want to see aviation decarbonise. They expect the industry and governments to be working together. The industry’s determination to achieve net zero by 2050 is firm. How would governments explain the failure to reach an agreement to their citizens?” said Walsh.ADVERTISEMENTData from a recent IATA survey shows that improving the environmental impact of airlines is seen as a post-pandemic priority for passengers, with 73% of people polled wanting the aviation industry to focus on reducing its climate impact as it emerges from the COVID crisis. Two-thirds of people polled also believe that taxing the industry will not achieve net zero faster and expressed concern about the money raised not being earmarked for decarbonisation projects.

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Dubai Airports is marking the World Environment Day by kicking off a new waste management initiative that will play an integral role delivering on its commitment to keep 60% of all waste from Dubai International (DXB) from entering landfills by the middle of 2023.
As part of the new programme, the operator has implemented an innovative food waste treatment plan which is expected to capture and compost more than 2,000 tonnes of food waste annually from food and beverage outlets, lounges and hotels across DXB terminals and concourses. Decomposing food waste in landfills results in the emission of methane gas which is 72 times more harmful to the environment than CO2.
The innovative new food waste plan was created in partnership with Dubai Airports’ waste management partner BEEAH Group, the Sharjah-based sustainability pioneer. It uses a special high-tech biodigester compost system installed in multiple locations across DXB that dramatically increases the speed at which food waste breaks down and becomes reusable compost and clean wastewater.
The DXB waste diversion strategy is designed to sustain a resilient waste management system that identifies the least economic, environmental, and social impact methods to capture, treat, reuse, or recycle all forms of waste. To date, the programme has already achieved greater than 40% reduction in waste, including a special initiative that captures 100% of all cooking oil used in airport F&B outlets and converts it to biodiesel fuel.
“Capturing and diverting all forms of waste from landfills is a strategically important component of our waste management programme. While airport operations contribute a very small percentage of the overall waste generated at DXB, we are working in close partnership with airlines, F&B facilities, and all other partners across the airport to make a unified commitment to achieving and surpassing our 60% waste reduction objective,” said Jamal Zaal, Vice President of Safety and Sustainability at Dubai Airports.ADVERTISEMENT“BEEAH Group is committed to being Dubai Airports’ partner to create a range of innovative new programmes to capture and find a useful purpose for all forms of waste in the most practical and impactful ways possible. Deploying Power Knot technology across all DXB terminals and concourses is a great example of that innovation and will put us on the path to achieve our goal of eliminating food waste and achieving our waste diversion targets,” said Rafael Sanjurjo Lopez, CEO Bee’ah Tandeef.
World Environment Day is led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and is celebrated by millions of people across the world. Held annually since 1974, it has grown into the largest global platform for environmental outreach. The campaign slogan for World Environment Day 2022, hosted by Sweden, is “Only One Earth” and is focused on living sustainably in harmony with nature.
Dubai International Airport is considered the World’s Leading Airport by voters at the World Travel Awards.

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IATA welcomed the continued focus on diversity and inclusion of airlines based in the Americas region, illustrated by their renewed commitment to the industry-wide 25by2025 initiative, in which participating companies commit to increase the number of women in senior positions and in under-represented jobs and report annually on key diversity metrics.
IATA’s Wings of Change Conference Americas, held in Santiago, Chile, featured a panel discussion on gender diversity under the banner of “Breaking the Airline Industry’s Glass Ceiling”.
This included a signing ceremony of the 25by2025 commitment at which Azul and GOL joined those 24* airlines based in the Americas region, who have already pledged their support. Moreover, Airports Council International Latin America and the Caribbean (ACI-LAC) will be the first non-airline entity in the region to join the initiative.
“We are pleased to see the airlines from the Americas region leading the way in bringing 25by2025 to life. Having Azul and GOL pledging their support is an important step forward in this initiative and hope this will be motivation for others to join,“said Peter Cerdá, IATA’s Regional Vice President, the Americas.
“The growing number of airlines signing up to 25by2025 illustrates a strong momentum to make aviation stronger with a more diverse workforce. The airlines which have already signed-up to the initiative demonstrate leadership for change. That is a very solid base to attract even more airlines to make the commitment and, more importantly, to report improving gender balance, particularly in senior roles,” said Jane Hoskisson, IATA’s Director, Talent, Learning, Engagement and Diversity.ADVERTISEMENT

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