Commercial, GHG Emissions  -  April 6, 2021

U.S. Airlines Organization Commits to Net Zero by 2050

Airlines for America (A4A), the industry trade organization representing leading U.S. airlines, announced that its member carriers would work across the aviation industry and with government leaders to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. As part of their commitment, the carriers also pledges to make 2 billion gallons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) available to U.S. aircraft operators in 2030.

“We are proud of our record on climate change. But we know the climate change challenge our country and the world face has only continued to intensify,” said A4A President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio in a statement.. “Today, we embrace the need to take even bolder, more significant steps to address this challenge.”

While some A4A members have already announced individual net-zero goals, Calio highlighted the importance of making this industry-wide commitment.  “Given that airlines are already driven to be highly fuel efficient, pushing technology, SAF, operational and infrastructure advances even farther to achieve net-zero is a massive undertaking,” said Calio. “Reaching the 2030 SAF goal alone will require an 84 percent annual average increase in SAF production through 2030. To move the needle, we must all work together, and the government needs to be an active partner and provide positive infrastructure and other investments to complement our efforts.”

 Airlines for America (A4A) members are Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Atlas Air, Delta Air Lines, FedEx, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, and UPS. Air Canada is an associate member.