14/1/2025–|Last updated: 1/14/202511:56 AM (Mecca time)
A study conducted by the “Transport and Environment” group – concerned with combating climate change – showed that the number of aircraft passengers is expected to more than double by 2050, which will increase demand for fuel and weaken the efforts made by the aviation industry to reduce its emissions.
Aviation industry leaders are meeting in Dublin this week during an annual financial conference that is expected to witness many aircraft sales deals. In this context, the Brussels-based group called on the European Union to take measures to limit growth in this sector.
“It is time to return to reality and put an end to this growing addiction to growth,” Jo Dardenne, the group’s aviation director, told Reuters.
The study indicated that measures to limit the rapidly growing air travel could include reducing the expansion of airport infrastructure, limiting travel for commercial purposes, and imposing greater taxes on this sector.
The aviation sector, which accounts for about 2.5% of global carbon emissions, has pledged to use more sustainable aviation fuel with the aim of reducing emissions and achieving net zero emissions by 2050.
But the study indicated that the scarcity of biofuel supplies and its high prices, as it costs about 5 times more than conventional jet fuel, hinder its widespread use.
She added that the aviation industry’s consumption of conventional fuel is expected to increase by about 59% by 2050 compared to its levels in 2019, due to the increase in the number of passengers.
Airbus and Boeing, two giants of the aircraft industry, expect demand for air travel to continue to increase in the coming years, which means more planes taking to the skies. Despite the introduction of more efficient aircraft and the use of sustainable fuels made from non-petroleum raw materials, this will not be enough to reduce emissions.
The director of aviation at the Transport and Environment Group said that the more air travel there is, the further away they are from the emissions reduction target. “At this rate, the sector will still be burning two billion barrels of oil a year by 2050, even with the use of sustainable fuels.”
Airbus and Boeing have not yet provided a comment on Reuters’ request regarding the study.
The aviation industry has repeatedly rejected calls to reduce its activity, stressing that the sector is essential for economic development and strengthening global interconnectedness.
