The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has introduced a global mechanism (CORSIA in its Spanish acronym) to compensate for the rise of CO2 emissions in international aviation after 2020.

Part of a package of measures including technology, sustainable aviation and operational and infrastructural advances in order to continue reducing the carbon emissions of the  sector.

Michael Gill, executive director of the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG) linking different industries,said: “The ICAO Council today adopted a complete package of norms and practices recommended for establishing the detailed requisites for CORSIA, thus now .permitting governments and the industry to make final preparations for its implementation before the obligations to monitor and report CO2 emissions begin in January, 2019. The ICAO Council deserves praise for its rapid progress with this important technical task.”

The ATAG has been working with IATA (International Air Transport Association) and IBAC (International Business Aviation Council)  to prepare airport operators for next January’s deadline.

Until now there have 14 workshops with at least nine additional sessions programmed for the next few months to help operators to prepare plans for monitoring emissions, a crucial preliminary stage in the process of implementation.

Gill also pressed the ICAO to rapidly adopt the additional decisions required to put into practice the CORSIA carbon compensation mechanism, which will come into force in 2021, as published in the international press.

“Although we are very happy with the significant progress made by the ICAO until now, there are still a number of decisions and steps which must be taken. High priority should be given to establishing  the Technical Advisory Board to determine the kinds of compensation which can be used to comply with CORSIA. We’d also like the Council to accept the complete set of sustainability criteria for the new aviation fuels,” he said.

The most urgent focus, he added, is the need to develop capacities to guarantee that the governments are ready to discharge their supervisory functions and present reports while aviation operators prepare to comply with CORSIA.

“We appeal to the ICAO Secretariat to redouble its efforts to create the (corresponding) capacities for member states and encourage rapid progress in this área,” he added.

Apart from endorsing the use of renewable energy sources for sustainable aviation fuel, the ICAO Council also agreed to recognize “conventional fuels with less carbon emissions” via CORSIA if such fuels comply with criteria including a reduction of 10% or more in the cycle of emissions.

Gill said: “The industry remains committed to the development of sustainable aviation fuel. Conventional fuels with reduced CO2 emission cycles are conceivable but we firmly believe that our long-term needs for sustainable fuels must be satisfied via non-fossil fuels and that must be the focus of research and development, as well as financing.”

The recommended standards and practices confirm the details which will be used to comply with the scheme, providing technical rules as to how airlines and governments should measure and report emissions.

As from January 1, 2019, all airlines flying international routes will have to measure and report to their states their CO2 emissions and these will form part of the base line for CORSIA.

As from 2021, airlines will have to start compensating the increase of emissions on routes between the states which have volunteered to participate in CORSIA..

Website of Uruguay’s chamber of commerce for the aviation industry (Cámara de Comercio de la Aeronáutica de la República Oriental del Uruguay)