Aviation brings together people, businesses and communities. We operate around the clock and around the globe to keep the world connected, in normal times supporting nearly 90 million jobs and well over 4% of global GDP. Those connections were never more keenly missed than during the two critical years of the Covid-19 crisis when travel stalled, families were kept apart and trade suffered.
Air connectivity supplies essential links between regional communities and the wider world, which would otherwise necessitate the development of expensive and challenging ground infrastructure or result in time-consuming travel.
Emerging from the pandemic, the aviation sector took the decision to build on the success of previous sustainability efforts to push towards the third era of air transport. In a declaration released on 5 October 2021, representatives of the world’s major aviation industry associations and largest aircraft and engine makers raised their ambition with a new long-term climate commitment:
Global civil aviation operations will achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, supported by accelerated efficiency measures, energy transition and innovation across the aviation sector and in partnership with Governments around the world.
This supports the Paris Agreement 1.5ºC goal and updates an earlier industry-wide goal set in 2009. Scientific consensus shows that the Paris Agreement 1.5ºC goal would greatly reduce the severity of climate change damage. It is imperative that all sections of society and business set the course to support achievement of this goal: