Air transport has always been able to work together to solve complex challenges and climate change is no different. We congratulate the world’s governments on reaching this important decision at ICAO. Haldane Dodd Executive Director, ATAG
The aviation industry’s most enduring global partnership is with the International Civil Aviation Organization, the specialised United Nations agency with the unique role to help set standards for global aviation.
ATAG participates in the ICAO Assemblies and works closely with ICAO on issues pertaining to aviation and the environment.
Please find below a document library of papers coordinated through ATAG for the ICAO Assemblies.
ICAO Member States met at the 41st ICAO Assembly from 27 September to 7 October 2022. Key to the discussions was the adoption of a long-term climate goal for aviation.
During the Assembly, governments adopted a goal of net-zero carbon emissions for international flights by 2050, one of the only global sector-specific goals.
Upon hearing the announcement, Executive Director of the Air Transport Action Group, Haldane Dodd said: “this is a milestone day for the aviation sector with governments backing up the industry goal on net-zero carbon by 2050. Air transport has always been able to work together to solve complex challenges and climate change is no different. We congratulate the world’s governments on reaching this important decision at ICAO.”
The ICAO goal aligns international aviation with the Paris Agreement and follows a commitment by the industry itself in 2021 to adopt a goal of net-zero carbon by 2050.
The aviation industry presented the following to the ICAO Assembly:
Ahead of the Assembly a special High-Level Meeting on a Long-term Aspirational Goal was held on 19-22 July to start the negotiations. The industry presented the following to the High-Level Meeting:
Background information
Media releases
ATAG launched the #FlyNetZero initiative to allow young aviation professionals who are passionate about the sustainable development of the sector to share their voice with policymakers.
ICAO Member States and a large number of international organisations met from 24 September to 4 October 2019 in Montreal for ICAO’s 40th Assembly.
The Air Transport Action Group coordinated three collaborative working papers covering aviation's continued support for CORSIA and emphasising that CORSIA was adopted as the only market-based measure applied to CO2 emissions from international aviation, a request by the industry to the ICAO Council to develop a long-term climate goal for international civil aviation for adoption at the 41st ICAO Assembly and aviation’s contribution to the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Media releases
The world's governments met in Montreal from 27 September to 6 October 2016 for the 39th ICAO Assembly. The key item for discussion was the agreement on a global market-based measure for international aviation.
Following six years of negotiations, governments adopted the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) – the world’s first market mechanism addressing climate change from any industrial sector. The global aviation industry coordinated by the Air Transport Action Group was instrumental in proposing the plan and is now supporting States to implement it.
CORSIA aims to stabilise net CO2 emissions from international civil aviation at 2020 levels by offsetting the growth in emissions. The international standards for the implementation of CORSIA apply to all ICAO Member States since 1 January 2019.
CORSIA will mitigate around 2.5 billion tonnes of CO2 between 2021 and 2035, which is an annual average of 164 million tonnes of CO2. CORSIA is part of a series of actions the global aviation industry is taking to reduce its carbon emissions, which includes investing in new technology, scaling up the use of sustainable aviation fuels, improving operational performance of aircraft and using more efficient infrastructure.
Media Releases