The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Aviation Impact Accelerator (AIA) are to collaborate to evaluate the financial aspects of achieving aviation’s and global governments’ joint objective, of net-zero carbon emissions from commercial air travel, by 2050. IATA is the representative body of the global airline industry, with some 300 member carriers, jointly responsible for 83% of global air traffic. AIA, based at the University of Cambridge, in the UK, is an international partnership of industry and academia which aims to boost the development of sustainable aviation through the creation of evidence-based tools that will allow people to comprehend, chart and implement pathways to sustainable flight.

“We are delighted to join forces with the [AIA] with a view to enhance our understanding of the many potential pathways to achieve air transport’s sustainable future,” affirmed IATA senior VP: sustainability, and chief economist, Marie Owens Thomsen. “The development of different technological pathways will have an influence on the long-term outlook of our industry, and our collaboration will notably explore this intersection.”

“We are excited to launch this new collaboration between AIA and IATA, investigating realistic pathways for aviation’s transition to net-zero emissions by 2050,” highlighted AIA lead and Cambridge University Whittle Laboratory director Professor Rob Miller. “IATA has a strong track record of fostering cooperation between airlines and other stakeholders and driving change in the sector. We believe that by bringing this together with AIA’s unique modelling capability we have an opportunity to unlock change.”

AIA has, over the past three years, created a network of world-class experts and has also developed an underlying system modelling capability. In collaboration with IATA, this capability will be used to assist airlines to examine and evaluate different routes to decarbonisation.

The two agencies also plan to work together to, amongst other things, further develop IATA’s “Recommended Practice Per-Passenger CO2 Calculation Methodology”. This methodology is used, in conjunction with verified operational data from airlines, to produce the most accurate and transparent results regarding carbon footprints generated by flying activity.