NBAA Provides Input to ICAO Working Group on Aircraft Emissions Standards

Feb. 11, 2016

NBAA provided important input to an International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) committee that recently issued a recommendation for a global standard to address CO2 emissions from aircraft. ICAO is the United Nations agency that develops international civil aviation standards.

The recommendation from ICAO’s Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP) was the result of six years of research and dialogue among government and industry stakeholders, including business aviation representatives. NBAA member companies and staff members worked with officials from the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) – which has observer status for ICAO proceedings, including proceedings of the CAEP – to provide technical and economic data valuable to the committee’s recommendation.

The CAEP-recommended standard would exempt small aircraft with a maximum takeoff mass (MTOM) below 5.7 metric tons (approximately 12,566 pounds) or propeller-driven aircraft below 8.7 metric tons (about 19,180 pounds) MTOM. This includes many business turboprops and light jets.

The recommendation would be applicable to new aircraft type designs starting in 2020, and to new deliveries of current in-production aircraft types beginning in 2023. All but a few aircraft currently in production or in development are expected to meet the initial emissions standard without modification.

“This recommended standard enables the aviation industry’s continued commitment to reduce aircraft emissions by improving performance, while also supporting economic growth,” said Steve Brown, NBAA’s chief operating officer. “The U.S., through the FAA’s NextGen program, has been a leader in reducing aircraft emissions through operational improvements, such as more efficient, direct aircraft routing.”

The CAEP CO2 standards recommendation is part of a broader approach to reducing aircraft emissions that includes use of new aircraft technologies, air traffic efficiency improvements and certification of alternative fuels.

The recommended standard will be considered by the ICAO Council at its next meeting in June, and by the ICAO Assembly for possible approval at its meeting in October 2016.