International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has adopted a market-based measure, the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), to reduce carbon emissions from international aviation. India, being a Member State of ICAO, is under obligation to comply with the mandatory phase of CORSIA from the year 2027. Under the CORSIA scheme, airlines are required to offset their emissions above a set baseline of 2019. The CORSIA scheme is applicable for international flights only, the Union Civil Aviation Ministry informed Parliament on Monday.
Responding to an starred question in the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu said, “India has joined ICAO’s Assistance, Capacity-building and Training for Sustainable Aviation Fuels (ACT-SAF) programme. India is also an active member of various working groups of the ICAO Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection, where experts from all Member States participate and contribute to the development of environmental standards and guidance material for the international aviation sector.”
He informed that the Ministry of Civil Aviation has advised all operational airports with scheduled operations and developers of upcoming Greenfield Airports to work towards achieving Carbon Neutrality & Net Zero, which inter-alia includes the use of green energy. So far, a total of 93 airports have switched over to 100% green energy usage.
The 41st ICAO Assembly adopted a long-term global aspirational goal (LTAG) for international aviation of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 in support of the UNFCCC Paris Agreement’s temperature goal. The LTAG does not attribute specific obligations or commitments in the form of emissions reduction goals to individual States. Instead, it recognizes that each State’s special circumstances and respective capabilities will inform the ability of each State to contribute to the LTAG within its own national timeframe. India has committed to be net zero by 2070.
To promote the production and use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), the Government has approved indicative blending targets of 1% by 2027, 2% by 2028, and 5% by 2030 for SAF in Traditional Aviation Fuel, initially for international flights. Public sector Oil Marketing Companies are actively engaged in achieving the stated blending targets.
