Thursday, February 27, 2025
The Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) has partnered with ICF, a leading consulting firm, to develop a strategic roadmap aimed at reducing aviation emissions across the region. Recognizing that Latin America and the Caribbean face unique operational, economic, and regulatory challenges, this initiative acknowledges that global decarbonization strategies cannot be applied uniformly. Instead, the roadmap will outline a tailored approach that aligns with the region’s distinct needs, ensuring that sustainability, air connectivity, and accessibility progress together in a balanced and effective manner.
“Continuing on our path to supporting and accompanying the efforts of the airline sector on its path towards sustainability, at ICF we are delighted to be able to build, together with ALTA, a regional perspective on the ambitious decarbonisation goals to which airlines have committed ,” says Dan Galpin, Director of Aviation, Travel and Tourism at ICF.
The study will analyse policies and scenarios in 11 strategic countries (Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Panama, Bahamas, Argentina, El Salvador, Dominican Republic), and will define goals and implementation plans, with a presentation of progress at the 42nd ICAO Assembly and final delivery scheduled for COP30. “Aviation in the region is taking an essential step towards decarbonisation in a realistic, efficient and economically viable way,” highlights José Ricardo Botelho, CEO of ALTA.
The initiative will evaluate regulatory and economic factors, including CORSIA regulations, Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) policies, and carbon offsetting opportunities. A key focus will be regional integration, aimed at strengthening carbon markets and expanding SAF adoption. The study will also develop strategic scenarios aligned with ICAO’s Long-Term Aspirational Goal (LTAG), ensuring practical and sustainable emissions reduction pathways that maintain the aviation sector’s competitiveness.
For Marco Larson, Chairman of the ALTA Sustainability Committee and Sustainability Leader of SKY Airline , reducing aviation emissions in Latin America and the Caribbean requires an approach tailored to the particularities of the region. “The alliance between ALTA and ICF will allow for a comprehensive analysis based on the ICAO LTAG, also considering local economic, regulatory and operational factors. Through coordinated work with the main actors in the sector, the initiative will lay the foundations for the energy transition and will have a real impact on the sustainability of the sector,” he emphasized.
The study will offer strategic recommendations for public policies and financial incentives, fostering collaboration between governments, regulators, and the aviation sector to drive sustainable development and emissions reduction in the industry.
Juan Carlos Salazar, Secretary General of ICAO, commented on the initiative. “We value the efforts of different sectors of the industry and of different regions of the world to adapt this global goal to their respective realities, thus achieving concrete progress on the path towards carbon neutrality in aviation. I would like to congratulate ALTA for this initiative and the member airlines of the organization that have decided to carry out a study that will undoubtedly provide key elements for the fulfillment of this objective. In addition, I invite them to have the results of the study validated by the groups of experts who, at a global level, are evaluating the progress of the civil aviation sector towards the goal of zero emissions.”
The ALTA Fuel & Sustainability Conference 2025, taking place from March 25 to 27, will feature a detailed presentation on the project’s development. The event will serve as a platform to discuss emission reduction scenarios and strategies, with active participation from regional governments and industry stakeholders.
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