22 Jul 2020 | 20:11 UTC — New York

EPA proposes adoption of UN aircraft sustainability standards

The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed to adopt the United Nations' fuel efficiency and emissions standard for future aircrafts, industry trade association Airlines for America said July 22 in a statement applauding the move.

The EPA proposal refers to international standards from a specialized agency of the UN, the International Civil Aviation Organization, adopted in 2017. The standards outline steps that civilian aircraft manufactures need to take in the engineering process to ensure new aircrafts support the larger aviation industry's historical sustainability initiatives.

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Carbon-neutral growth is key to ICAO's Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation, the industry's goal to halve 2005 emissions levels in half by 2050.

While ICAO initially planned for the baseline for carbon-neutral growth to be determined by an average of emissions in 2019 and 2020, the specialized agency agreed to drop 2020 from the calculation given the crash in air travel amid the coronavirus outbreak. The move saved airlines an estimated $15 billion.

"EPA's proposal to adopt ICAO's fuel efficiency and CO2 certification standard for newly manufactured aircraft is good for our industry, for our country and for the world," said Nancy Young, A4A vice president, environmental affairs.

More rigorous standards for the development of civilian aircrafts is just one component of what ICAO calls its "basket of measures" to uphold the industry's sustainability commitments.

Another key component is the adoption of sustainable aviation fuel, fuel derived from renewable resources whose identical specifications to traditional jet characterize it as a "drop-in" fuel compatible with existing infrastructure. While SAF has made inroads into the US via the California market, substantial market penetration is hindered by both limited production and the price, which is about three times the cost of conventional jet fuel.