The Pact comprises a Steering Committee to which representatives of institutions, trade associations, large Italian companies and associations for sustainability are adhering.

The Pact has been drawn up to give a radical change to the achievement of sustainability objectives in the air transport sector in the context of SDGs and the 2030 Agenda and, in this context, the goal of Net Zero Emissions by 2050. Air transport produces approximately 2% of global CO2 emissions, but is nevertheless strongly committed to achieving ever higher levels of sustainability and to reducing its emissions. Considering that the aeronautics sector is a central element for economic and social development on a global level, which cannot be done without, as clearly highlighted during the pandemic, there is a clear need to define a path that makes it compatible development of global connectivity and environmental protection.

The Observatory will therefore gather and disseminate scientific knowledge by rationalising resources and skills in different Italian sectors and academic realities that are an active part of the decarbonisation process, with the aim of providing concrete answers to a series of questions that the sector must ask itself and which needs to be replicate in the most rigorous way possible, such as defining the methodological context in which to pursue “science-based” objectives, identifying the time limits for implementing the identified solutions, outlining the necessary interventions to ensure operational practicability, technological and economic within precise European and national regulatory frameworks.

“Amongst its institutional mandates,”  declared the President of ENAC, State Lawyer Pierluigi Di Palma “ENAC also has attention towards environmental protection. The entire aeronautical system is vital for development and, therefore, its regulation in terms of sustainability is necessary and cannot be postponed to contribute to the reconciliation between air transport and the environment.  The decarbonisation of air transport, promoted by Aeroporti di Roma thanks to the support of the Ministry of Sustainable Infrastructures and Mobility and with the participation of ENAC, must see all the players in the sector committed to pursuing the best and most innovative solutions to protect needs of citizens, indeed guaranteeing the sustainable growth of the sector in compliance with the international commitments undertaken by Italy”.

““The decarbonisation of air transport” said Marco Troncone, CEO of Aeroporti di Roma “is a key challenge for which the sector can and must be ready. However, the complexity of the path, which is also characterised by still immature technological solutions or by currently prohibitive costs, requires careful reflection. An analysis phase is therefore necessary, which rests on solid technical foundations, which translates wishes into concrete action plans with challenging but realistic stages, which guarantees consistency of the targets with what science indicates to us as necessary and really feasible and, lastly, which define the necessary framework of policies to support the transition. To this end, the Pact for Decarbonising Air Transport is an open initiative that aims to involve all relevant actors to define a shared roadmap”.

“Within the next few years,” emphasised Alfredo Altavilla, Executive President of Ita Airways “our sector will be committed to carrying out an ambitious technological and cultural transformation, with the aim of achieving the highest levels of sustainability and decarbonisation. We are therefore pleased to be part of this important initiative and to be able to contribute to the definition of innovative actions that will enable Italian air transport to achieve the objectives of reducing its emissions, whilst preserving the competitiveness of the industry. ITA Airways has already started the path towards a more sustainable future through the renewal of its fleet, with the gradual introduction of modern and environment-friendly aircraft, equipped with innovative technologies, which will make it possible to reduce, over the 2022-2026 plan, CO2 emissions by 750 thousand tonnes”.

As part of the Observatory, all the initiatives available to reduce emissions in the sector will therefore be analysed and assessed organically, including, for instance, the development of sustainable fuels and the necessary infrastructures, the use of energy from renewable sources, new technologies. for aircraft propulsion, the implementation of integrated rail-air intermodality in all of its aspects - from infrastructural, commercial and passenger services. In this context, the transitional compensation measures to be used pending the full implementation of the solutions identified will also be assessed.

The Pact provides for the development of academic research curated by the Energy&Strategy del Politecnico di Milano group, the contents of which will be discussed in some thematic working tables in which the Steering Committee will take part. Antonio Lobosco, Chief Operating Officer: “in order to cope with the increase in GHG emissions, the European Union has set decarbonisation targets with different time horizons (e.g., 2020, 2030, 2050), reported in various regulatory measures such as the Climate Energy Package (-20% of GHG in 2020 compared with 1990) and the Green New Deal (-55% of GHG in 2030 compared with 1990). The ultimate goal is to achieve zero emissions by 2050. In this context, the “Fit for 55” package of measures will be discussed by the Council and the European Parliament in the coming months. The latter also includes some measures aimed at air transport, including the progressive increase of the emission reduction target by 2030 from 43% (current ETS target) to 61% (compared with 2005 values) and the ReFuelEU Aviation Initiative, to introduce the use of “"Sustainable Aviation Fuel” and “Synthetic Aviation Fuel” in aircraft”.

For further information:

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