The Guardian
Gwyn Topham
08 Jun 2026
Iata boss Willie Walsh blames fuel suppliers, governments and aircraft makers, saying new ‘realistic timeline’ now needed
The aviation industry’s landmark pledges to be net zero by 2050 will probably not now be achieved, airline leaders have admitted.
The collective goal to eliminate net carbon emissions was declared by global airlines only five years ago in 2021, with similar pledges made by national aviation industry leaders and governments, including in the UK, in 2020.
However, Willie Walsh, the director general of global airlines body Iata, said “hope was fading fast” and a new “realistic timeline” should be established...
