Airlines admit 2050 net‑zero goal unlikely, seek timeline

The global aviation industry has formally acknowledged that its landmark pledge to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 is now unlikely to be met, with leaders calling for a new, realistic timeline. The admission came from Willie Walsh, Director General of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), during the group’s annual summit in Rio de Janeiro.

Walsh stated that the failure to meet the 2050 target, a goal collectively declared by global airlines in 2021, is largely due to insufficient progress from fuel suppliers, governments, and aircraft manufacturers. He explained that more than half of the planned decarbonization relies on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), with much of the remainder dependent on the United Nations-backed global emissions trading program, CORSIA. Both pillars are faltering. Annual SAF production in 2026 is projected to reach only 2.4 million tonnes, covering a mere 0.8% of airline fuel needs, while the CORSIA framework is being undermined by government inaction.

"The gap is wide and not closing fast enough," Walsh told delegates. He noted that governments, through the International Civil Aviation Organization, had targeted a 5% emissions...