Global airlines to report net-zero emissions target progress with new Iata tracking tool

The International Air Transport Association (Iata) has released a new tool to help global airlines track and report on their progress towards achieving their target of net-zero emissions by 2050 amid increased pressure on the sector to address its climate impact.

Iata's new tracking methodology will aggregate data from its member airlines and report annually on "industry-level progress", with the first report planned for publication in the fourth quarter of next year, the industry body said in a statement.

“Transparency is a critical element of aviation’s decarbonisation. We will report our progress annually to ensure standardised, accurate and comprehensive reporting of aviation’s journey to net zero," said Marie Owens Thomsen, Iata's senior vice president of sustainability and chief economist.

The Track Zero report's industry-level data "will help airlines, governments and investors with tools to improve decision-making to accelerate progress”, she said.

In a GE Aerospace survey released last month, aviation executives said 2055 was a more realistic deadline for the industry to meet its target of net-zero emissions, five years later than the 2050 deadline, given slow progress and growing challenges.

The industry, which accounts for about 3 per cent of global carbon emissions, is considered a hard-to-abate sector due to the lack of viable alternative technology or readily available clean fuels available.

The biggest hurdles to meeting the climate goal by 2050 are rising costs, budgetary pressure, supply issues and energy resources, the GE survey found.

Iata's move to publish a Track Zero report follows the release of its five road maps detailing critical actions for the aviation industry to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. They address aircraft technology, energy infrastructure, operations, finance and policy.

The road maps "will evolve with the insights of the Track Zero report, practical experience and emerging technologies to help aviation set interim milestones on the way to net zero", Iata said.

Individual airlines can use the aggregate data of the Track Zero report to benchmark their own progress towards decarbonisation.

They can also choose to report their progress on decarbonisation to key stakeholders including governments, investors and customers, using Iata's net zero tracking methodology, Iata said.

“Decarbonisation is an industry challenge, not a competitive issue. Nonetheless, the report and the methodology behind it can enable benchmarking that could intensify decarbonisation efforts by spreading the success of best practices,” Ms Owens Thomsen said.

Key features of the net-zero tracking methodology include standardisation of reporting. The methodology establishes a "transparent framework for accurate reporting" that can be used industry-wide by identifying the relevant emissions scope, sources, and processes for tracking and measuring emissions, Iata said.

The methodology also focuses on accuracy by including best practices for data collection and validation with minimal administrative efforts.

The methodology accommodates reporting of all kinds of decarbonisation activities on a lifecycle basis, including use of conventional and sustainable aviation fuel, carbon offsets, carbon capture and future power sources such as hybrid-electric, electric and hydrogen-powered aircraft, Iata said.