Aeroporti di Roma presents the Pact for the Decarbonisation of air transport to the European Parliament

The Pact is made up of a Steering Committee which includes representatives of institutions, trade associations, large Italian companies and associations for sustainability and was presented for the first time last April to the Italian institutions at the Chamber of Deputies, with the patronage of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security and ENAC. On 21 September 2022, the first Annual Congress of the Pact for the Decarbonisation of Air Transport was held at the Leonardo da Vinci airport. The industry’s response was prompt. It is currently a unique international case demonstrating the maturity of a sector that, thanks to the guidance of ENAC and the relevant ministries, intends to ensure its solid contribution to Italian and European decision-makers, above all in consideration of the complexity of the public policies to adopt. Identifying the path to reach the targets without depressing the sector will be essential by encouraging investments in research and development through measures capable of reducing emissions, such as biofuels, the use of renewable sources, new technologies for aircraft propulsion and the development of intermodality.

Given the European context in which the European Union is engaged in a set of strategic initiatives which aim to start the EU on the road to the green transition, intending to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, Aeroporti di Roma has deemed it essential to present the Pact Manifesto also in Brussels, together with some members of the Steering Committee, showing how the actors are committed to supporting the decarbonisation of the entire sector.

“The decarbonisation of aviation is an indisputable priority to ensure the ‘just’ development and transition of the entire industry and access to mobility for citizens. The sector today produces less than 2% of global emissions and has already been strongly committed to reducing its emissions for years to achieve ever higher levels of sustainability. But the isolated contribution of individual companies is not enough. This is why we have promoted the Pact, created to define a roadmap for decarbonisation and is also useful for framing the necessary enabling policies. After having convened last September in Rome, we are now presenting it in Brussels, convinced that a zero-emission aviation sector is possible, but only within the right timeframe and with the contribution of all stakeholders. To meet the decarbonisation targets, it will be necessary to pursue a multi-approach strategy that includes a variety of technological solutions. In the short term, the most advanced option is biofuels. SAFs, as they can be used without any technical modification of aircraft, infrastructure and refuelling means” commented the CEO of Aeroporti di Roma, Marco Troncone who spoke in Bruxelles.

Also attending the event were: Ambassador Stefano Verrecchia, Deputy Permanent Representative of Italy to the EU, Claudio Eminente, Head of ENAC Economic Planning and Infrastructure Development Central Directorate, Henrik Hololei, Director General DG Move, Olivier Jankovec, Director General ACI Europe, Alessandra Moretti¸MEP ENVI Committee of the European Parliament, Filip Cornelis, Director Aviation DG Move and Thomas Reynaert, Director of Airlines for Europe (A4E).