Dubai, UAE

IBAC welcomes ICAO agreement at CAAF/3 to accelerate SAF production and use

The International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) has welcomed the global framework for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) agreed at the third International Civil Aviation Organization Conference on Aviation and Alternative Fuels (ICAO CAAF/3) in Dubai.

The agreement recognizes the importance of accounting methodologies to the global acceleration of SAF production, including book and claim, which is critical to business aircraft operators’ ability to participate in the emerging SAF marketplace.

Kurt Edwards, Director General of IBAC, said, “The CAAF/3 framework advances a key tool for the global business aviation community to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. IBAC and the business aviation industry will work with ICAO and governments to demonstrate how book and claim, using globally accepted accounting practices, can enable small operators, no matter where they are in the world, to send demand signals for SAF while claiming environmental attributes and ensuring environmental integrity.”

(L to R): Kennedy Ricci, 4Air; Kurt Edwards, IBAC; Miguel Garcia Claro, Bombardier; Claude Hurely, IBAC; Marc Ehudin, GAMA.

The ICAO CAAF/3 framework includes a global, aspirational vision of striving to reduce CO2 emissions in international aviation by five percent by 2030 through the production and use of SAF, lower-carbon aviation fuel (LCAF), and other aviation cleaner energies. This milestone is in the context of last year’s historic agreement at the ICAO triennial Assembly on a Long-Term Aspirational Goal (LTAG) of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and encourages accelerated investment in SAF production.

The CAAF/3 framework reiterates that the production and use of SAF worldwide will be critical to achieving the LTAG by 2050 and establishes a foundation of four building blocks to facilitate that acceleration: policy and planning, regulatory framework, implementation support, and financing. The Conference also endorsed the creation of the ICAO Finvest Hub, which will facilitate access to public and private investment opportunities for projects contributing to the decarbonization of international aviation, particularly for developing states.

Director General Kurt Edwards led the CAAF/3 IBAC delegation of seven industry officials from IBAC, the Middle East Business Aviation Association, UAS International Trip Support, 4Air, Bombardier, and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.