Business Aviation Pledges Net-Zero Carbon By 2050 and Increasing Fuel Efficiency as Part of Renewed Climate Commitments
/Business aviation leaders have pledged to achieve net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050 as they expanded on a set of bold climate commitments made a decade ago, marking the latest in a string of new sustainability announcements at their main event of the year.
At the National Business Aviation Association’s (NBAA’s) 2021 Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE), the heads of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) and NBAA also said the industry would continue its goal of increasing fuel efficiency 2% per year between 2020 and 2030.
These new ambitions build on the Business Aviation Commitment on Climate Change (BACCC) made in 2009, when the industry said it would reduce carbon emissions 50% by 2050, increase fuel efficiency 2% per year from 2010 to 2020, and achieve carbon-neutral growth by 2020.
GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce said technology advancements would be a key component to reaching the BACCC’s milestone, pointing to lighter materials, reduction of parts through additive manufacturing, propulsion innovation, aerodynamic optimization through composites, advanced alloys, skin coatings and active winglets as just some of the many areas where further improvements will have impact.
IBAC Director General Kurt Edwards pointed to the other main focus of the updated Business Aviation Commitment on Climate Change: increased production, availability and use of SAF, and adoption of new market-based initiatives.
More information about the Business Aviation Commitment on Climate Change is available at IBAC’s website.