Airports Council International applauded the visionary International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) goal for sustainable aviation fuel to come from the Third ICAO Conference on Aviation and Alternative Fuels (CAAF/3) that took place in Dubai from 20–24 November.
According to a press release by ACI, on 24 November, governments from over 100 States, meeting with industry and civil society, have set a goal that aviation fuel in 2030 should be 5% less carbon intensive than the fossil fuel which makes up nearly all of today’s aviation energy.
This will be achieved through a transition to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), lower carbon aviation fuels (LCAF), and other cleaner energies which will play a pivotal role in the industry’s ability to deliver the ICAO Long Term Aspirational Goal.
The ICAO CAAF/3 conference also agreed a Global Framework for Cleaner Energies, which provides for assistance to help States with the transition.
During the 5-day event, ACI, representing the airport industry, had expressed its support for the aviation sector transition away from fossil fuels. ACI had pressed for an ambitious quantified goal for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) deployment for 2030, with a view that a 5% reduction in the carbon intensity goal should be considered a necessary starting point.
ACI had also asked that States agree on a supportive global framework to enable implementation of the goal and to provide the necessary assistance to developed and developing countries. These measures would de-risk investment and ensure policy certainty, while enabling all States to participate both in the production and use of SAF on a non-discriminatory basis, allowing them to take advantage of the energy transition, building new industries, and providing up to 14 million jobs.
ACI World Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira said: “ACI applauds and supports the visionary ICAO goal for 5% carbon intensity reduction by 2030 – it will be crucial to delivering the ICAO Long Term Aspirational Goal of net zero carbon emission by 2050. ACI was present and engaged at ICAO CAAF/3, advocating on behalf of airports for this goal – this is a prime example of how regulators and industry can work together. We look forward to continuing to foster consensus across regulators and industry at the upcoming COP28.
“Airports are already taking action in a number of ways, most importantly by engaging with fuel suppliers, airlines, and local and national regulators. Despite the transition to SAF already underway with policy measures being implemented or discussed in around 40 countries, supportive policies will be crucial to speed up the development and supply of SAF globally.”
In February 2023, ACI joined the ICAO Assistance, Capacity-building and Training for Sustainable Aviation Fuels (ACT-SAF) program and has long been supporting its airport members in decarbonization, including through the ACI Airport Carbon Accreditation program, managed by ACI EUROPE.
