Business aviation operators and manufacturers agree to back the emissions goals of ICAO's action programme
Fri 27 Nov 2009 – At a joint presentation by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) and the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC), the global business aviation sector announced it would commit to specific targets on reducing aviation emissions. The two bodies said they would adopt “an aggressive strategy” to achieve carbon-neutral growth by 2020, improve fuel efficiency by an average of 2% per year from now until 2020 and reduce total carbon emissions by 50% by 2050 relative to 2005. The plan, they said, supports the ICAO Programme of Action on International Aviation and Climate Change agreed at last month’s ICAO High-Level Meeting.
The sector, which makes up around 2% of all aviation and 0.04% of global man-made carbon emissions, claims to have delivered improvements in fuel efficiency of 40% over the past 40 years.
The targets, said GAMA and IBAC, are based on developments and advancements in four areas: technology, infrastructure and operational improvements, alternative fuels and market-based measures.
“Business aviation manufacturers and operators will put forth a sustained effort to meet these targets, but a strong partnership between industry and government is also absolutely necessary to achieve these goals,” said GAMA President and CEO, Pete Bunce. “We look forward to working hand-in-hand with all stakeholders to meet this critical global challenge of emissions reduction even as we grow to meet expanding demand for transportation.”
Don Spruston, Director General of IBAC, added: “Business aviation wants to be an integral part of a comprehensive, ambitious and fair worldwide action to mitigate emissions. As a global industry, we believe that ICAO should be granted sectoral responsibility to develop a simple and straightforward system to address aviation emissions worldwide.”
GAMA represents 67 general aviation manufacturers worldwide whilst the IBAC is a council of business aviation associations from around the world with permanent observer status at ICAO.
