Project Brief
The Environmental Policy Group was established in 2008, and gathers Environmental Directors from 29 member airlines.
Objective:
- To follow up on all regulatory, political, and technical developments related to aviation and the environment on both global and regional levels and to advocate the interests of Arab airlines across all regional and international stake-holders.
- To follow up on environmental developments affecting the Arab airlines, advocate their interests, exchange environmental information, provide environmental awareness, and provide cost effective solutions that would help AACO members in facing the environmental challenges.
ICAO and its member States agreed in 2013 on a road-map to finalize work on the Global Market Based Measure and put in place the structure and design element of the global scheme for the assembly of 2016 to review, discuss and possibly adopt the global deal. And upon the recommendation of AACO Executive Committee, the Environmental Policy Group followed up on the environmental developments related to defining the structure and design element of the global scheme, in addition to following up on ICAO’s work and the outcome of the High Level Meetings which were held in order to come up with an agreeable scheme that galvanized the support of all states.
And after 6 years of intensive work from ICAO and its working groups, member States, stakeholders, and international and regional associations, including the Arab Air Carriers’ Organization (AACO), and during its Assembly which was held in Montreal from 27 September to 7 October 2016, ICAO and its member States finalized an agreement for a Global Offsetting Scheme for International Aviation known as CORSIA.
Modus Operandi:
On the Regional level:
- To cooperate with Arab Civil Aviation Organization (ACAO) and Civil Aviation Authorities in the Arab world to have a coordinated Arab position which reflects the interests of Arab Airlines and the agreement of Arab States with regards to aviation and the environment.
On the International level:
- To follow up on ICAO’s work on establishing the necessary mechanisms for implementation of the CORSIA 2020.
- To work with the concerned Arab authorities and to coordinate with IATA and other regional and international entities, and the Arab Civil Aviation Organization (ACAO) to ensure that the mechanisms will not add further burdens on the Arab airlines.
- To work with all stakeholders to try to develop a methodology that would recognize efficiencies achieved by airlines prior to 2020 known as the Early Movers.
- To follow up on the developments related to the EU-ETS and advocate with the European Commission that the issue of aviation and the environment must be dealt with through the provisions and principles of the ICAO resolution which identified the guiding principles for design and implementation of the global MBM to tackle the environmental impact of air transport.
Members
Afriqiyah Airways, Air Cairo, Air Algerie, Air Arabia, Badr Airlines, EgyptAir, Emirates, Etihad Airways, flydubai, flynas, Gulf Air, Iraqi Airways, Jordan Aviation, Kuwait Airways, Libyan Airlines, Middle East Airlines, Nile Air, Nouvelair, Oman Air, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian, Saudia, Syrian Airlines, Sudan Airways, Tassili Airlines, Tarco Aviation, Tunisair and Yemen Airways.