Michael Gill, Executive Director of the cross-industry Air Transport Action Group welcomed the outcome of the meeting: “the ICAO Vision represents a commitment from stakeholders meeting at ICAO to follow a path towards increasing deployment of sustainable aviation fuel, one of the key components of our industry’s climate action plan. Periodic reviews of the Vision should look to ramp-up ambition, including at the next Conference before 2025. We can then look at the longer-term prospects with the hope that sustainable aviation fuel will make up a significant proportion of our fuel mix in 2050, bringing down emissions and diversifying our energy supply.”
“Industry has already committed many millions of dollars and significant resources to help kick-start the commercialisation of sustainable aviation fuel. We should recognise the airlines, airports and other industry partners showing leadership in this area.”
Over 40,000 commercial flights on sustainable aviation fuel have taken off since the fuel was approved for use in 2009. Regular supplies are now used in flights from four airports, with a number of others starting to provide the fuels in the coming year. Airlines have committed to purchase over 1.5 billion gallons of the fuel and further announcements on offtake agreements are expected soon.
“Most importantly, delegates confirmed that any alternative fuel deployment should follow sustainability criteria currently being developed by a task force at ICAO, including representatives of environmental groups. Aviation industry representatives strongly supported this, as sustainability should be a central component of any deployment of these new fuels.
“We now urge governments all over the world to join with industry to promote and develop this new source of energy that can bring up to an 80% reduction in CO2 compared with traditional jet fuel. The Vision will need to be developed further over time, but it also sets industry and governments a challenge we will meet together.”