The expectations of the International Air Transport Association from the 40th Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organisation going on in Montreal, Canada, is high.
Consequently, the clearinghouse for global airlines has equally encouraged ICAO member states to continue to support the industry’s efforts to address its climate change impact.
The Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of IATA, Alexandre de Juniac, disclosed that three years ago, ICAO member states had agreed to implement a Carbon Offset and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation.
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He said that the aviation industry welcomed the commitment as part of the overall approach to meaningfully mitigate the industry’s climate change impact.
“Today, CORSIA is a reality, with airlines tracking their emissions. Unfortunately, there is a real risk that CORSIA will be undermined by governments piling on additional carbon pricing instruments. They are branded ‘green taxes’, but we have yet to see any fund allocated to actually reducing carbon.
“CORSIA was agreed as the single global economic measure to achieve carbon-neutral growth by generating $40bn in climate funding and offsetting around 2.5bn tonnes of CO2 between 2021 and 2035. Governments need to focus on making that commitment a success,” he said.
Speaking on the deployment of drones, the IATA chief said, “By 2023, drone operations in the U.S. alone could triple, according to some estimates. And the general trend is the same worldwide.
“The challenge is to achieve this potential safely. The safety of civil aviation is the model. Industry and governments must work in partnership on the global standards and innovations needed to safely achieve the tremendous potential of drones.”
De Junaic reiterated that IATA, in cooperation with Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation and the International Federation of Air Line Pilots Associations,submitted a working paper calling on states to work together through ICAO and in cooperation with the industry to develop provisions for these airspace new entrants.
Speaking on passengers and disabilities, the airline industry, he said, is committed to improving the air travel experience for the estimated one billion people living with disabilities worldwide.
He stated that airlines reaffirmed this commitment in a resolution at IATA’s Annual General Meeting this year.
He noted that the industry’s ability to ensure that passengers living with a disability can travel safely and with dignity, in line with the UN convention on the rights of the people with disabilities, was being undermined by a steady increase in national/regional disability policies that were either not harmonised or were in direct conflict with each other.
“With ageing populations, the number of people travelling with disabilities is growing and will continue to do so. To travel with confidence, they rely on consistent measures applied globally.
“And a harmonised global framework is equally essential for airlines to serve their customers with disabilities in a safe, secure, efficient and consistent manner,” de Juniac added.
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