Sustainability in the Aviation Industry: The Net Zero Goal
With climate change becoming an increasingly pressing concern and environmental regulations becoming more stringent, the aviation industry faces a mounting pressure to reduce its ecological impact. Net zero, while a topic current in most industries, is of particular importance in the aviation industry, which currently accounts for two to three percent of anthropogenic carbon emissions – a figure that might, with a growing demand for air transport, increase significantly, if left unchecked.
At the 77th IATA Annual General Meeting in Boston on 4 October, 2021, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and its member airlines have committed themselves to the goal of achieving net zero emissions from their operations by 2050. This resolution brings air transport in accordance with the efforts of the Paris Agreement’s temperature goal.
In contrast to carbon neutrality, net zero does not allow for unlimited offsetting of emissions. Instead, it requires companies to completely erase carbon emissions from their ecological footprint. Net zero status is only achieved if, compared to the baseline year, companies have removed at least 90% of their carbon emissions and offset the remaining 10%. As the baseline year, the Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) program recommends 2010.
The sustainability target of net zero carbon emissions can only be achieved with a concerted effort of the entire aviation industry – including airlines, airports, air navigation service providers, and manufacturers – and will also require significant government support. The key elements of the IATA’s strategy towards achieving net zero CO2 emissions by 2050 are
- the use of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF);
- investment in new aircraft technology;
- improvement in infrastructure and operational efficiency, focusing on air traffic management;
- the use of approved offsetting as well as carbon capture and storage technologies.
Sustainability Trends in Aviation in 2025: Our Top 3
As an enormous challenge for the industry, sustainability is among the key trends and innovations that are currently shaping the future of aviation. Yet, what does a green future look like? We will focus on our top 3 sustainability trends in aviation to look for in 2025 that are set to shape a greener future:
1. Trend: Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF)
Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) are currently regarded as the single most powerful tool in the decarbonization process of air travel, contributing to achieving a maximum reduction of emissions at source. The 2030 Climate Target Plan considers SAF central to reducing emissions from aviation. SAF is therefore both a component of the “Fit for 55” package designed to meet the emissions reduction target of 55% by 2030 and one of the key elements in the IATA’s strategy towards net zero CO2 emissions by 2050.
The ReFuelEU Aviation regulation included in the European Green Deal becomes effective in 2025. The regulation is expected to bring a substantial reduction of more than 60% of carbon emissions by 2050 in comparison to 1990 levels. Its successful implementation requires collaboration across all sectors of the supply chain, that is, in particular, from aviation fuel suppliers, EU airports, and airlines:
- According to Article 4 of the regulation, aviation fuel suppliers are required to gradually increase the share of SAF blended into conventional aviation fuel supplied at EU airports. From 2025, the minimum share of SAF required in EU airports is 2%. From 2050, it will be 70%.
- Article 5 of the regulation requires aircraft operators departing from EU airports to uptake only the aviation fuel necessary to operate the flight. This minimizes avoidable emissions caused by extra weight on the one hand, and risks of carbon leakage due to ‘tankering’ practices on the other.
- According to Article 6, airports must ensure infrastructure readiness to deliver, store and refuel aircraft with SAF.
2. Trend: New Aircraft Technologies
Another key element in the IATA’s strategy of reaching net zero by 2050 are new aircraft and propulsion technologies. The fuel-efficiency of aircraft is consistently improving, with each new generation of aircraft reducing emissions by around 15% to 20%. Thanks to more efficient engines, improved aerodynamics, and reduced weight, the overall fuel efficiency of the global aircraft fleet has improved around 80% compared to 50 years ago.
Over the next two decades, further aircraft design improvements and technological advancements are expected to increase fuel efficiency by another 15% to 20%, thus further reducing the environmental impact of aviation. Moreover, advances in technology, including digitalization and artificial intelligence (AI), are currently already contributing to more efficient and sustainable operations in aviation.
Another technological disruption that might revolutionize the future of aviation is yet to come: While certainly a trend that renders net zero emissions feasible, electric and hybrid-electric aircraft as well as hydrogen-powered aircraft are currently still in their infancy. How effective a clean, electric fleet of aircraft might be remains yet to be seen.
While still confronted with several major challenges – such as we have discussed in our blogpost “Clean Aircraft and Clean GSE: A Green Future” – clean, i.e. electric aircraft seem to be within reach: Small aircraft with hybrid-electric propulsion are expected as soon as the later 2020s, regional aircraft in the 2030s, and larger aircraft potentially in the 2040s. Hydrogen aircraft, in turn, are still subject to several challenges and might, potentially, enter into service around 2035.
3. Trend: Green Airports and Sustainable Airport Logistics Solutions
Sustainable aviation cannot be achieved without ‘green airports’. Airports are already exploring more sustainable alternatives and solutions both in their operations and infrastructure. A necessary step for airports towards rendering their logistics more sustainable, consists in implementing electric ground support equipment (GSE) into their ground handling operations.
Our fully-electric, towbarless Mototok tugs allow you to completely electrify your ground handling operations – and they have excellent green credentials: Mototoks use eco-friendly and emission-free electrical motors and can be recharged with clean, renewable energy. Electrically powered GSE is, however, not only the right choice for the environment – it can also help you efficiently cut costs at a time when fossil fuels are becoming scarce and increasingly expensive.
In addition, a Mototok tug can help you to significantly improve the efficiency of your ground handling and pushback operations, thus streamlining your airport logistics operations. This, in turn, helps with the optimization of supply chains at airports and, thus, with the reduction of waste and emissions.
Conclusion: Sustainability Trends in Aviation in 2025
With the objective of net zero carbon emissions by 2050, there are several trends in the aviation industry that are set to shape a greener future. We have here focused on 3 sustainability trends in aviation to look for in 2025, in particular:
- Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF),
- new technologies for clean aircraft,
- and sustainable logistics solutions for green airports.
Without electric GSE, there will be no sustainable aviation in the long run. And while completely clean, i.e. electric aircraft are still in the future, fully-electric tugs are already available today and provide a starting point for the aviation industry to minimize its carbon footprint.
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