Say Agreement Marks Real Progress To Reduce Aviation CO2 Emissions

The world's two largest aircraft manufacturers have released statements supporting the ICAO Aircraft CO2 Emissions Standard approved Monday in Montreal, Canada.

"Boeing commends the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP) for reaching agreement on the first global standard for aircraft carbon-dioxide emissions, Boeing said in a statemet. "This standard represents more than six years of work by a group of international experts from ICAO member states, industry and non-governmental organizations.

"Boeing is fully committed to meeting the new CO2 emissions standard announced by ICAO. This agreement represents real progress beyond the substantial industry achievements already made to reduce aviation emissions, with more steps ahead. The new standard is ambitious and will become part of the certification process applied to every airplane before delivery based on the ICAO schedule.

"We have made significant investments to improve the efficiency and environmental performance of our products and will continue to do so. Environmental goals are aligned with our business goals, as greater fuel efficiency and lower emissions are top priorities for our commercial customers. We believe the ICAO standard will have the intended results of ensuring older aircraft are replaced by newer, more efficient aircraft that will further reduce fuel use and carbon emissions."

The planemaker pledged to make product development decisions based on a range of factors, including cost, certification requirements and market demand.

Similarly, Airbus welcomed the ICAO CO2 emissions standard. The agreement on the ICAO “CO2 Standard” is the result of work by a task force of experts from governments and observers and will be endorsed by the ICAO Council later this year.

The aim of this certification standard is to reduce CO2 emissions from aviation by encouraging the integration of fuel efficient technologies into aircraft design and development, ensuring older aircraft are replaced by newer, more efficient designs. This is part of a broader set of actions aimed at tackling aviation’s climate change impact including improvements in flight operations, deployment of sustainable jet fuels and the reduction of noise and other emissions together with the development of a global market based measure for aviation‎ to be agreed at the ICAO General Assembly in October 2016.

Airbus says it has invested significantly in improving the environmental performance of its sites, products and services, consistently bringing the most eco-efficient aircraft to the market, meeting and surpassing  environmental performance requirements.

Airbus says it will continually strive to meet  and exceed ambitious emissions requirements for both current and future aircraft.

(Source: Airbus and Boeing news releases. Images from file)

FMI: www.boeing.com, www.airbus.com