Green Targets Or Net Zero emissions are just "PR Exercise" Qatar Airways Group CEO Akbar Al Baker had to say at a recent meeting of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), stating his belief that aviation achieving the green target in less than 30 years is not likely.
Qatar Airways Group CEO Akbar Al Baker said the aviation industry will miss its target to achieve net zero status in 2050, describing the airline sector's emission goals as a "PR exercise".
However, Qatar Airways is the first carrier in the Middle East and Africa to procure a large SAF (sustainable aviation fuel) amount in Europe beyond government SAF mandates. SAF offers significant potential for decarbonisation as neat SAF can reduce full lifecycle emissions by up to 80% compared to conventional jet fuel.
With this commitment , Qatar Airways will be reducing its emissions on flights from Amsterdam by approximately 7,500 tonnes of CO2 for the fiscal year.
Earlier in the June, Qatar Airways Chief Mr. Akbar Al Baker, had quoted,
“At Qatar Airways, we are strongly committed to supporting the industry’s effort to ramp-up the use of sustainable aviation fuel, as one of the key pillars to decarbonise the aviation industry. Last year, we signed our first offtake agreement in the US, and now we are placing a multi-million US dollar SAF deal in Amsterdam to illustrate our SAF commitment and reiterate our calls for a more robust SAF supply chain across our global network”.
He had also added,
“We remain steadfast in our ambitious target of 10 per cent SAF use by 2030 and this announcement, establishes another landmark for Qatar Airways that underlines the positive outcome of the industry’s collaboration which is critical to accelerating the SAF supply and achieving our target. SAF is still 3 to 5 times more expensive than fossil-based jet fuel. This is why it is essential for all stakeholders to play their part in facilitating research & development of SAF facilities, enhancing economies of scale, providing financing and placing supportive policies”.
But Now, Al Baker, while speaking to CNN said:
“Let us not fool ourselves. We will not even reach the targets we have for 2030, I assure you. Because there is not enough raw material to get the volumes of SAF.
The live TV interview took place on Monday during the annual meeting of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), on the day the group announced a roadmap to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Al Baker, who bats for collaborative actions that are required to help accelerate aviation’s progress towards net zero , said that given the current volumes of SAF being produced, the industry’s targets are unrealistic.
He further said that the industry is in denial about the rate of progress. IATA has pledged to boost the use of SAF by 2030, with a goal of becoming net zero in 2050.
His interview with CNN continued further and he said ,
“What we are trying to do is for a PR exercise saying that it will happen, and it will be done, it will be achieved – but it won’t be able to be achieved. And the governments will use this to line their pockets by putting [on] levies.”
Despite Al Baker's skepticism about the industry’s emissions ambitions, he remains certain that net zero is attainable.
“I’m not saying it can’t be done, but to do it in the [2050] time frame, the industry is far behind.”
In another news from the past, SAF producer Gevo, Inc will supply 25 million US gallons of neat SAF to the Gulf carrier Qatar Airways over the period of five years with deliveries expected to commence in 2028 at various airports in California.
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