IATA urges the industry to live up to the legacy of the Chicago Convention

• Environmental sustainability
• Ensuring a policy framework that encourages competition and innovation
• Infrastructure that is efficient and affordable.

Environment 

“Environmental sustainability is the greatest challenge to our industry’s license to spread the benefits of air connectivity. We are already helping people to fly sustainably. The environmental impact of an individual traveller has been cut in half compared to 1990, and we have decoupled emissions growth from underlying traffic growth.

“Now we are moving forward on our interim goal of capping net CO₂ emissions through carbon-neutral growth. Since 1 January, airlines have been tracking their emissions and they will begin reporting them to governments in 2020 under CORSIA, the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation, agreed by member states of ICAO. Carbon offsetting through CORSIA is expected to mitigate around 2.5 billion tonnes of CO₂ and generate over $40 billion in climate finance between 2021 and 2035.”

de Juniac said that aviation is also working towards its 2050 target of achieving a 50 per cent reduction in net CO₂ emissions compared to 2005. Sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) potentially will play a huge role, but for that to occur, governments need to enact policies supporting commercialisation of SAF. Advances in airframes and propulsion systems such as the development of all-electric and hybrid-electric aircraft, will also play a big part in cutting aviation’s emissions in half by 2050. IATA urged that it will also require operational improvements and greater efficiency from air navigation services providers.

However, IATA cautioned that the rise of anti-aviation sentiment poses an immediate challenge to efforts to grow aviation’s benefits, while addressing its climate responsibilities. 

“Governments, particularly in Europe, are piling on so-called environmental taxes that penalise airlines and air travellers but do little to support industry efforts to reduce emissions. I have yet to see any aviation environmental tax actually being used to help reduce aviation’s environmental impacts,” said de Juniac.

Competitive policy framework

Turning to the need for a pro-competition policy framework, de Juniac said: “Competition unleashes innovation and helps drive prices lower. This is what occurred following airline deregulation. Subsequently, we’ve seen how removing barriers to international competition through Open Skies agreements has also spurred the market and benefited consumers.” He cautioned against efforts to turn back the clock on deregulation through consumer rights rules whose costs exceed their benefits, citing Canada’s Air Passenger Protection Regulations as an example.

Infrastructure

de Juniac also highlighted the need for adequate affordable infrastructure. “Critically congested airports are spread the world over. New York, Sao Paolo, London, Amsterdam, Mumbai, Bangkok and Sydney are all examples of airport bottlenecks due to capacity constraints – both real and artificial. Bottlenecks, whether on the ground or in the air, lead to delays and inefficiencies, and these result in excess fuel burn and CO₂ emissions.”

IATA commented that the U.S. is better positioned than most in terms of its infrastructure capacity but costs are a concern. The U.S. already ranks 100 out of 136 countries in terms of its travel and tourism cost competitiveness, according to the World Economic Forum. A proposal in Congress to almost double the cap on airport passenger facility charges (PFCs) will raise ticket prices and reduce the country’s cost competitiveness even further. 

“This proposal to permit airports to increase the PFC comes despite the fact that there is no airport funding crisis in the U.S.,” de Juniac said. “Furthermore, taxes and fees on airline tickets, including PFCs, already account for around $64 of a typical $300 ticket, or 21 per cent. Congress should reject this proposal that will unnecessarily and unfairly increase the financial burden on air travellers,” de Juniac said.