BY: OLAPEJU OLUBI
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Aviation Impact Accelerator (AIA), an international industry-academia partnership based at the University of Cambridge, have announced a collaboration to accelerate the aviation sector’s transition to net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050.
The two organizations according to Professor Rob Miller, Director of the Whittle Laboratory, University of Cambridge, and AIA lead, will assess the financial implications of reaching aviation’s 2050 net-zero CO2 goal.
Building upon existing work, Miller said the collaboration would support the development of scenario-based tools to help airlines analyze and evaluate different decarbonization pathways.
Miller explained that the purpose of the collaboration was to support better-informed decisions by airlines and policy-makers in the transition to net zero, adding that the collaboration would set a solid foundation for IATA and AIA to develop a wider, long-term partnership.
The Aviation Impact Accelerator (AIA) is an international group of experts drawing on a broad range of expertise convened by the University of Cambridge, with the aim of accelerating the journey to sustainable aviation by developing evidence-based tools that allow people to understand, map, and embark on the pathways towards sustainable flight.
“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. 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,”said Rob Miller
“We are delighted to join forces with the Aviation Impact Accelerator with a view to enhance our understanding of the many potential pathways to achieve air transport’s sustainable future. 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,” said Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA’s Senior Vice President Sustainability and Chief Economist.
As part of the future collaboration, AIA and IATA also aim to collaborate on the future development of IATA’s Recommended Practice Per-Passenger CO2 Calculation Methodology, amongst other areas of work. Used in combination with verified airline operational data, the methodology provides the most accurate calculation results and transparency to everyone interested in understanding the carbon footprint from flying activity.
