TIACA Hails Agreement on Aviation Climate Emissions As A Major Breakthrough in The Development of Global Standards

The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) says the agreement by 191 countries at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) General Assembly in Montreal to develop a global market-based measure for aviation emissions from 2020 is a major breakthrough in the development of global standards for the industry.

Prior to the ICAO meeting, TIACA urged the 191 states to ‘make history’ by reaching a single, simple and sustainable agreement to help aviation achieve carbon neutral growth. TIACA also endorsed a resolution by members of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for the implementation of an aviation carbon neutral growth strategy by 2020.

Doug Brittin, Secretary General of TIACA, said: “We must not under-estimate the importance of this agreement. Business is changing and companies are being forced to deal with harsh economic realities while also working to achieve a sustainable future.

Collaboration on the development of necessary global standards is essential to achieve the clarity international businesses need and to remove unnecessary additional processes and costs that inevitably arise when organizations are forced to comply with a raft of different national and regional regulations.”

Under the terms of the ICAO Resolution agreed in Montreal to develop a global measure for aviation emissions from 2020, governments will spend the next three years leading up to the scheduled ICAO General Assembly in 2016 on technical discussions. Each country will work on the design elements of such a scheme, including standards for monitoring, reporting and verification of emissions and the type of scheme to be implemented.

“As we have continuously stressed, the aviation industry is highly committed to more efficient operations and has a long history of investing in tangible improvements such as more efficient aircraft fleets and the development of alternative fuels, as well as a wide range of other ‘green’ initiatives applied on the ground. This will continue apace because greater efficiency means lower cost and in a highly-regulated industry forced to operate with such low financial margins, this is the ultimate incentive for airlines. The global economy needs a vibrant and profitable airline industry to stimulate growth and, in turn, the industry needs regulators to work alongside it to ensure the aviation industry can continue to fulfill its vital role. TIACA recognizes there’s considerable work to be done before the 2016 Assembly and we are committed to working in collaboration with ICAO members to flesh out these details. This will include participating in future ICAO events, starting with the Regional Symposium on Strategic Trends in Air Cargo in Sao Paulo in December,” Doug Brittin added.