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Milestone in Aviation Industry’s Efforts to Meet Net Zero 2050 Targets to Address Climate Change and Biodiversity

The Global Sustainable Aviation Exchange (GSAE) was officially launched at a ceremony co-hosted by Khalifa University in the Main Campus in Abu Dhabi and Cranfield University in Bedford, UK, marking an important milestone in the aviation industry’s efforts in meeting Net Zero 2050 targets to address climate change and biodiversity.

The hybrid event, which coincided with the Rest Day of the COP28 UAE Summit in Dubai and the International Civil Aviation Day 2023, brought together industry leaders, policymakers, investors, and leading academics from around the world.   

The GSAE builds upon the success of the Global Aviation Summits held from 2020 to 2022, organized by Cranfield University in partnership with the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG), a coalition of aviation industry experts focusing on sustainable development issues.

Professor Sir John O’Reilly, President, Khalifa University was present at the inauguration, who highlighted Khalifa University’s decade long role in advocating, recommending and leading with stakeholders in demonstrating sustainable aviation practices during his welcome address at the event. Dr. Alejandro Rios Galvan, Director, Sustainable Bioenergy Research Consortium (SBRC) and Chief Research Scientist, participated in discussions addressing the Top 10 Sustainability Challenges that highlighted the latest research from around the world addressing the challenge. Dr. Galvan moderated a panel on Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) Scale Up and accelerating solutions. 

During the launch event, industry and academic speakers and moderators engaged in scientific and knowledge exchanges to review the top 10 sustainable aviation challenges that must be addressed by 2030 to achieve the aviation industry’s goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. One of the objectives of the launch event was to utilize these discussions as a starting point for initiating global collaborations to deliver operational solutions within this decade. The GSAE will facilitate these collaborations through a program of challenge-specific workshops, starting in February 2024. 

Other discussions during the event focused on greater clarity on sustainability challenges, addressing research gaps for the aviation sector’s 2050 target, reinforcing the importance of collaboration and action for sustainable aviation, skills shortage and workforce sustainability, adaptations to climate change impacts, the aviation sector’s role in achieving Net Zero 2050 while keeping global warming below 1.5˚C, and the dissemination of leading research and innovations to industry, investors, and governments. 

Key participants of the launch event included patrons of the GSAE include Salvatore Sciacchitano, President, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Jane Hupe, Deputy Director Environment, ICAO, Willie Walsh, Director General, International Air Transport Association (IATA), and Julia Simpson, President and CEO, World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).   

Professor Sir John also mentioned Khalifa University’s own contributions to sustainable aviation practices, including initiatives such as the SBRC, which focuses on developing clean, alternative fuels for aviation, which in collaboration with key stakeholders resulted in the successful flight from Abu Dhabi to Amsterdam fueled by biofuel produced through the SBRC’s Seawater Energy and Agriculture System (SEAS).

Alisha Roy
Science Writer
5 January 2024