Press release
Aircraft efficiency improvements have stalled, stronger standards needed
Washington, D.C.—The International Council on Clean Transportation released a new analysis of commercial aircraft fuel efficiency from 1960 to 2024, revealing that improvements have stagnated since international CO2 standards took effect in 2020. The study comes as policymakers prepare to gather in Montreal on February 17 to update international aviation standards in support of the sector’s 2050 net-zero CO2 goal.
The new working paper, “Fuel burn of new commercial jet aircraft: 1960 to 2024,” finds that the primary cause of the efficiency plateau is a sharp decline in the certification of new, more efficient aircraft types. New type certifications have fallen from a peak of six per year in the late 1990s to less than one per year after 2020. Beyond Boeing’s 777X, manufacturers have not committed to developing additional new aircraft types before 2035.
“This research demonstrates that ICAO’s 2028 CO2 standard lags state-of-the-art technology by about a decade,” said Nikita Pavlenko, ICCT’s Aviation Program Director. “With improvements in new aircraft expected to contribute about one-sixth of all emission reductions under aviation’s net-zero target, stronger standards are crucial.”
The analysis concludes that a CO2 standard 15% more stringent than the current requirement is needed to promote the development of new, more efficient aircraft types. This recommendation comes at a critical time as ICAO’s Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection prepares to meet in Montreal to consider updates to the international CO2 standard.
“The aviation industry’s commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050 requires continuous improvements in aircraft efficiency,” said Mehak Hameed, co-author of the study. “Our findings suggest that without stronger standards, the industry risks falling short of its climate goals.”
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Please use this link when citing the report: theicct.org/publication/fuel-burn-of-new-commercial-jet-aircraft-1960-to-2024-feb25
Publication title: Fuel burn of new commercial jet aircraft: 1960 to 2024
Authors: Mehak Hameed and Dan Rutherford
Media Contact:
Kelli Pennington, communications@theicct.org
About the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT)
The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) is an independent nonprofit research organization founded to provide exceptional, objective, timely research and technical and scientific analysis to environmental regulators. Our work empowers policymakers and others worldwide to improve the environmental performance of road, marine, and air transportation to benefit public health and mitigate climate change. We began collaborating and working as a group of like-minded policymakers and technical experts, formalizing our status as a mission-driven non-governmental organization in 2005.
Find us at:
www.theicct.org
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