By Michael Schneider, Assistant Director Environmental Programs, IATA
The 2024 ICAO Long-Term Aspirational Goal (LTAG) Stocktaking event took place from 7-10 October, at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Headquarters in Montréal, Canada. This event focused on monitoring progress towards achieving net-zero carbon emissions in international aviation by 2050. The LTAG was adopted at the 41st ICAO Assembly in October 2022.
The event brought together around 400 participants, including representatives from governments, the aviation and energy sectors, research institutions, start-ups, financial institutions, and civil society organizations. Discussions spanned a wide range of topics, such as advancements in aircraft technologies, hydrogen use in aviation, operational improvements, and airport infrastructure. Special emphasis was placed on Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF), Lower Carbon Aviation Fuels (LCAF), and other cleaner energy sources, and the financing mechanisms needed to scale them up.
During the panel discussions, insights were shared on policies, partnerships, sustainable certification, accounting, implementation support, and financing for SAF and other cleaner energies. IATA presented on various topics, such as hydrogen, the SAF Registry initiative, and the IATA Finance Net Zero CO2 Emissions Roadmap. During related panel sessions, IATA advocated for the harmonization of SAF accounting and reporting frameworks, the alignment with the industry methodology to track LTAG progress, and the need for acceptance of out-of-sector measures, i.e., carbon removals, as part of the LTAG methodology.
The event concluded with presentations on the ICAO Global Framework for SAF, LCAF, and other cleaner energies and the ICAO Finvest Hub, which aims to connect aviation decarbonization projects with potential investors. The event was recorded and is available on ICAO TV.
