The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has revealed that the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF), not taxation, is “the most practical near-term solution to reducing emissions”, ultimately making the industry sustainable.
IATA revealed this following the recent unveiling of the European Union’s (EU) ‘Fit for 55’ emissions reduction plan which says that the EU is to rely on taxation as a solution for cutting emissions – a move which IATA says will be “counter-productive to the goal of sustainable aviation.”
The EU’s ‘Fit for 55’ proposal is a roadmap proposed by the EU to attain 55% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 on 1990 levels, with the overarching objective of making the continent carbon-neutral by 2050 as part of the European Green Deal.
According to IATA’s Director General, Willie Walsh, “Aviation is committed to decarbonization as a global industry. We don’t need persuading, or punitive measures like taxes to motivate change. In fact, taxes siphon money from the industry that could support emissions’ reducing investments in fleet renewal and clean technologies. To reduce emissions, we need governments to implement a constructive policy framework that, most immediately, focuses on production incentives for SAF and delivering the Single European Sky.”
In Walsh’s expert opinion, combining the use of SAF with other measures will go a long way to efficiently reduce carbon emissions. These other methods include market-based measures – to manage emissions until technology solutions are fully developed; the implementation of the Single European Sky (SES) – to reduce unnecessary emissions from fragmented air traffic management (ATM); the implementation of radical new clean technologies.
He went on to lament that the SES has been on the drawing board for the last twenty years but has not made much progress despite the fact that its implementation will reduce delays, make operations safer and lead to a 6-10% improvement in environmental performance.
“Europe’s national politicians are quick to lecture airlines on the efforts industry should be making on the environment. But they are silent when it comes to areas of their own responsibility. Just recently the European Council failed to show any leadership to cut emissions by harmonizing European air traffic management. Moreover, the constant absence of political support from states on the SES proposals undermines the credibility of the ‘Fit for 55’ proposal and the credibility of Europe’s determination to drive real solutions for sustainability,” said Walsh.
