Fact Sheet: Environment

  • IATA’s vision is to achieve carbon neutral growth from 2020; to reduce emissions 50% by 2050 over 2005; and in the long term for air transport to become an industry that does not pollute – zero emissions

Air Transport’s Environmental Track Record

  • Air transport contributes 2% of global manmade CO2 emissions
    • Forecast to grow to 3% by 2050 (IPCC 1999)
  • Total climate change impact (including radiative forcing and other greenhouse gases) is 3%, forecast to grow to 5% by 2050 (IPCC 1999)
  • Air transport has 70% less fuel and CO2 emissions per pkm compared to 1970s
  • IATA member airlines achieved their 2000 –2010 goal for a 10% improvement in fuel efficiency (and CO2 emissions) in 2006. 
    • Improved fuel efficiency 16% 2001 to 2008
    • In 2009 emissions will fall 6.5% (43 million tonnes) to 623 m tonnes
      • 1.8% from industry efforts (12 m tonnes)
      • Remaining 4.7% due to capacity cuts (31 m tonnes)
  • IATA forecasts 25% reduction in fuel consumption per Revenue Tonne Kilometre (RTK) 2005 to 2020

IATA’s Four Point Strategy to Address Climate Change

1. Technology

  • Short term: enhancements and modifications to existing in-service fleet, including drop-in alternative fuels
  • Medium term: accelerate fleet renewal, introduce latest technologies
  • Long term: radical new technologies / designs.
  • IATA Technology Roadmap identifies technologies that could reduce fuel burn per aircraft of up to 30%

2. Operations

  • Improved operations can save fuel and CO2 by up to 6% (IPCC 1999).
  • IATA helps fuel conservation by compiling best practices, publishing guidance, visiting airlines, and training (via Green Teams).
  • Green teams saved 10.9 million tonnes of CO2 in 2008 (saving US$3.7 bn)
  • IATA will extend fuel conservation programmes and promote airline environmental management systems.

3. Infrastructure

  • Governments and infrastructure providers could eliminate up to 12% of CO2 emissions by addressing airport and airspace inefficiencies (IPCC 1999)
    • Some 4% of this has already been achieved since 1999
    • Single European Sky, US Next Gen Air Transport System and flexible airspace access would contribute to these savings. 
  • IATA’s work with governments in 2008 shortened 214 air routes and led to improvements at 103 airports, saving 3.9 million tonnes of CO2 (saving US$1.3 billion)

4. Economic measures

  • First three pillars alone will not be enough to stop growth in aviation’s carbon footprint. Positive economic measure are needed to bridge the gap
  • Governments must take a global sectoral approach to reducing aviation emissions:
    • Aviation emissions treated as an indivisible sector total and not apportioned to individual States
    • Emitters charged just once for emissions

Since 2004 IATA’s proactive strategy for fuel efficiency has saved 68.7 million tonnes in CO2 emissions and US$14.5 billions in fuel costs.

IATA’s Goals

  • Average improvement in fuel efficiency of 1.5% per year to 2020
  • A cap on aviation CO2 emissions from 2020: carbon-neutral growth
  • And aspirational goal to reduce CO2 emissions 50% by 2050 compared to 2005

IATA’s 2009 Target

  • Achieve a reduction of at least 10 million tonnes of CO2 from operations and infrastructure.

Updated November 2009
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