The event is an opportunity to examine in-depth the policies developed over the past year by the Pact’s Steering Committee on critical topics such as airport infrastructure, aircraft and energy, as well as to present the policy proposals developed by the Observatory on these issues. The objective of the first year of work was to identify the path to reach the targets to preserve the sector, offering incentives for investment through measures that reduce emissions, such as the use of sustainable fuels, research into new technologies for aircraft propulsion and the development of intermodal transport. What emerged from the working groups was the need to create a regulatory framework that fosters the growth of air transport by pursuing the decarbonisation of the sector, achieving the binding objectives at European level, thanks to the coordinated contribution of all players to provide credible and reliable solutions.

The conference also represented the occasion to announce the presentation of the Pact at the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28 UAE) – set to be held at Expo City Dubai from 30 November to 12 December 2023 – with the side event “The Pact for the Decarbonisation of Air Transport: the Italian ecosystem for a roadmap to Net-Zero” selected by the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security.
 
“The aeronautical industry’s journey towards decarbonisation has already started,” Marco Troncone, CEO of Aeroporti di Roma, commented. “It is a path that will be certainly long and challenging, but we are confident that it will achieve some significant goals already in the short term, with the distribution of SAF in line with the EU mandates and the transition of many airports to Net Zero,” he added. “However, the zero emissions’ objective for the entire sector requires the shared, coordinated, long-term commitment of all the actors involved; in this sense, strengthening the Pact through the creation of the Foundation effectively responds to this need.”

One year after it was established, the Pact for the Decarbonisation of Air Transport has gained new and qualified partners who, representing the entire sector, have brought new projects and operations to add to its initial objectives. This is why, with the goal to broadening and sharing the governance of this panel, ADR announced today the establishment of a Foundation, which will guide the air transport sector towards the 2030 – 2050 sustainability goals. 

Andrea Benassi, General Director ITA Airways: “Since its operational start-up, ITA Airways has been committed to achieving very challenging decarbonisation targets to become the greenest airline in Europe. We are doing this through the renewal of our fleet, which boasts 79 aircraft, 30 of which are new-generation with an average of 20-27% lower fuel consumption, the use of sustainable fuels (SAF) and a project involving combined train+plane tickets. Today's event demonstrated once again how important it is for the various stakeholders to work together to achieve the decarbonisation targets set at EU level. For such interventions to be truly credible, environmental sustainability must go hand in hand with economic sustainability, and appropriate support measures by institutions are essential in this regard. Finally, we look with interest at the creation of the Foundation announced today, which confirms the industry's growing commitment to increasingly sustainable air transport.”

Massimo Bruno, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane: “The establishment of the Foundation ensures that the Pact's commitments on the decarbonisation of air transport are made more concrete. Within the framework of this new reality, Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane Group will mainly focus on developing infrastructure projects and commercial proposals that can strengthen the intermodality between rail and air.” 
 
Pierluigi Di Palma, President of the Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC): "Technological innovation, digitalisation, intermodality and sustainability must be central elements on which to base actions in every industrial sector, such as air transport. And the Foundation will also take care of this, an initiative that we welcome, certain that it will help accelerate the achievement of sustainability and decarbonisation objectives, including Net Zero by 2050. I want to remind that important support for reducing emissions can come from alternative fuels, the most immediate solution on the path to neutrality, towards greener and more sustainable energy. This was discussed at the ECAC meeting in Malta in September, and subsequently Europe accepted a resolution of ours which will be discussed from 20 to 24 November in Dubai at the ICAO CAAF/3 conference. Italy's request is to increase the production of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs) from food waste and especially biomass to reduce the use and cost of fossil fuel.”

Pasqualino Monti, Amministratore Delegato ENAV: “The decarbonisation process of the aviation sector passes through the contribution of all the players in the supply chain and the Pact for the Decarbonisation of Air Transport, thanks also to the establishment of the Foundation, has been and will continue to be an extraordinary opportunity to share the initiatives of all the entities that participate. ENAV, as Service Provider, is aware of the strategic nature of its role and, thanks to the results achieved in the fight against climate change, will continue to invest in sustainability and the development of innovative solutions.”

Angela Natale, President Boeing Italia: “The decision to transform the Pact for the Decarbonisation of Air Transport into a Foundation is a tangible sign of the success and strategic nature of this community.” 

Giuseppe Ricci, Eni’s General Director of Energy Evolution: “Eni shares the strategic importance of the Pact for the Decarbonisation of Air Transport, and regards the Foundation as a tool of cooperation between the various subjects who can contribute in a pragmatic and concrete way to the decarbonisation of the sector. Eni, which has been producing and marketing biojets in the Livorno refinery since 2022 by distilling the bio-components produced in the Gela biorefinery, has set the goal to produce up to 300,000 tonnes per year from 2025, certain that SAF is the only fuel currently available to reduce aviation emissions.”

Monica Scarpa, CEO SAVE Group: “The decision to set up a Foundation dedicated to the sustainable development of air transport, according to a shared public and private pathway, consolidates and strengthens the efforts made to date to reconcile the development of the sector with sustainability policies and programmes, channelling experiences and individual projects into a single entity representing common goals.”  

Nazareno Ventola, Managing Director and General Manager Bologna Airport: “The transformation of the Pact for the Decarbonisation of Air Transport into a Foundation is an opportunity to consolidate the experiences and contributions of the various partners of the Pact, while also creating the conditions for a strengthening of commitments by the various players in the air transport chain, with the aim of accelerating the necessary transition process towards an increasingly 'Carbon Free' system in its various components.”

Numerous participants from business, institutions and associations attended the debate: Vannia Gava, Deputy Minister of Environment and Energy Security, Galeazzo Bignami Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Pierluigi Di Palma, President of ENAC, Mario Baccini, Mayor of Fiumicino, Fabrizio Ghera, Lazio Regional Councillor for Mobility, Transport, Territory Protection, Waste Cycle, State Property and Patrimony, Eugenio Patanè, Rome City Councillor for Mobility, Antonio Scino, Chief of Cabinet, Ministry of Environment and Energy Security, MP Salvatore Deidda, President of the IX Commission for Transport, Posts and Telecommunications, Chamber of Deputies, MP Anthony Emanuele Barbagallo, IX Budget, Treasury and Planning Commission, Chamber of Deputies, MP Luciano Cantone, IX Commission for Transport, Posts and Telecommunications, Chamber of Deputies, MP Ylenja Lucaselli, V Budget, Treasury and Planning, Chamber of Deputies, MP Simonetta Matone, President of the Parliamentary Intergroup on the Decarbonisation of Air Transport, XII Commission on Social Affairs, Chamber of Deputies, MP Erica Mazzetti, VIII Commission on Environment, Territory and Public Works, Chamber of Deputies, MP Giulia Pastorella, IX Commission on Transport, Post and Telecommunications, Chamber of Deputies, Alessandra Bruni , President of ENAV, Ivan Bassato, President Urban V, Andrea Benassi, General Manager ITA Airways, Roland Berger, Alfonso Celotto, President of Aeroporti 2030, Davide Chiaroni, Full Professor of Strategy & Marketing Politecnico di Milano, Filip Cornelis, European Commission Aviation Director, Serafino D'Angelantonio, President of Airbus Italia, Luigi Di Marco, Member of General Secretariat ASVIS, Piero Ercoli, Executive Director Decarbonization Unit Snam, Laura Fasano, Head of the Mission Unit supporting the Price Monitoring Supervisory Authority, Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy, Matteo Finotto Senior Public Relations & Public Affairs Manager Southern Europe EasyJet, Corrado Fischer, Chief Operating Officer SAVE Group, Alessandro Fonti, President of Aicalf, Marco Frey, President of UN Global Compact Network Italy, Vito Mangano, General Director Assohandlers, Marco Mannocchi, Public Affairs Manager Europe NESTE, Giulia Monteleone, Director of ENEA Energy Technologies and Renewable Sources Department, Angela Natale, President of Boeing Italia, Luciano Neri, IBAR General Secretary, Vincenzo Nunziata, President of Aeroporti di Roma, Maria Paola Quaglia, Legislative Officer Enel Italia, Alessio Quaranta, General Director ENAC, Lorenzo Radice, Head of Sustainability Gruppo Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, Manuela Rafaiani, Director SYMBOLA, Giuseppe Ricci, General Director of ENI Energy Evolution, Katia Riva, Chief Sustainability & Innovation Officer Mundys, Rafael Schvartzman, Regional Vice President Europe IATA, Giacomo Talluri, Associate of the Department of Energy (DENERG) Politecnico di Torino, Davide Tassi, Head of Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility ENAV, Marco Troncone, CEO of Aeroporti di Roma, Nazareno Ventola, CEO and General Manager of Bologna Airport.