Role of ICAO CO2 emissions standard for new aircraft in civil aviation sustainable development process

Achieving emissions reductions through technical standards is a fundamental element of ICAO’s basket of measures to address aviation emissions. The sector remains the last major transport mode without vehicle emission standards, so the intensive CAEP work over the past years was an important opportunity for ICAO to deliver on its stated climate goals. The development of an aeroplane CO2 Standard was one recommended element within the ICAO Programme of Action on International Aviation and Climate Change, which was subsequently endorsed by the ICAO High-level Meeting of Member States. Following the agreement of a draft Annex 16 Volume III certification requirement1 at CAEP/9, the CAEP/10 work programme for WG3 included work items E.05 on an aeroplane CO2 emissions Standard and E.06 on interdependencies (Appendix A). These items were allocated to the CO2Task Group (CO2TG). The 36-State ICAO Council has adopted a new aircraft CO2 emissions standard which will reduce the impact of aviation greenhouse gas emissions on the global climate. Contained in a new Volume III to Annex 16 of the Chicago Convention (Environmental Protection), the aircraft CO2 emissions measure represents the world’s first global design certification standard governing CO2 emissions for any industry sector. The Standard will apply to new aircraft type designs from 2020, and to aircraft type designs already in-production as of 2023. Those in-production aircraft which by 2028 do not meet the standard will no longer be able to be produced unless their designs are sufficiently modified.