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3mo ago

IATA Warns Climate-Sceptic Policies Jeopardise Airline Decarbonisation by 2050

Rising SAF production masks a widening supply gap that keeps airlines reliant on low-cost oil, making them vulnerable to recent regulatory rollbacks.

Willie Walsh, Director General of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), speaks during IATA annual meeting in Istanbul, Turkey June 5, 2023. REUTERS/Dilara Senkaya/File Photo
The airline industry's goal of decarbonising by 2050 is in peril due to climate-sceptic policies, the International Air Transport Association has warned
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Overview

  • Marie Owens Thomsen cautioned that leaders favouring fossil fuels and policy rollbacks are imperilling the industry’s net-zero emissions goal for 2050.
  • IATA projects global SAF output will double to about 2.5 billion litres in 2025, yet this will satisfy only 0.7% of total aviation fuel demand.
  • SAF costs remain three to four times higher than conventional jet fuel, reducing airlines’ incentive in the face of low oil prices.
  • EU rules require carriers to blend 2% SAF this year, rising to 6% by 2030 and 70% by 2050 to accelerate fuel transition.
  • IATA estimates $4.7 trillion in investment is needed to build sufficient SAF capacity, and suggests redirecting $1 trillion in annual oil subsidies could hasten the energy transition.