Airline leaders say 2050 net zero emissions target unlikely

Airline industry leaders stated that the collective goal to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 will probably not be achieved. The target was set by global airlines in 2021 and by some national governments in 2020. The director general of the global airlines body Iata said governments, fuel suppliers and aircraft manufacturers share responsibility for the shortfall.

He added that annual sustainable aviation fuel production this year will reach only 2.4 million tonnes, or 0.8 percent of total airline fuel needs.

Fuel and policy shortfalls More than half of planned aviation decarbonisation depends on sustainable aviation fuels, with much of the remainder tied to the Corsia emissions trading programme. The director general said Corsia is being undermined by government inaction and that the gap between current output and the 500 million tonnes needed by 2050 remains wide.

Governments had set a target through the UN aviation body for a 5 percent emissions reduction by 2030 using sustainable aviation fuels. The UK met its 2 percent minimum sustainable aviation fuel mandate in 2025, largely from imported recycled cooking oil.

Next steps and reactions The director general said airlines are continuing their own commitments but cannot reach net zero by 2050 alone. He cited delays in new efficient aircraft deliveries and the absence of air traffic management reforms that would cut gross emissions.

The sustainability vice-president and chief economist at Iata said UK and EU targets for next-generation sustainable fuels by 2030 are detached from current production capacity. The UK government has stated it will support further Heathrow expansion only if climate tests are met.