A 2022-23 Federal Budget commitment to establish a council to guide decarbonisation efforts in Australia’s aviation industry has been welcomed by the Brisbane Airport Corporation.
The council will seek to establish a policy framework and inform decision-making for Government efforts and initiatives designed to reduce aviation emissions.
Brisbane Airport Corporation’s Executive General Manager for Sustainability, Raechel Paris, said well-informed policies would be essential to furthering sustainability in the aviation industry.
“Getting the policy right from the start is essential to the development of a domestic sustainable aviation fuel market,” Ms Paris said.
“Next year the world will celebrate 120 years since the Wright Brothers became the first to harness powered flight. What a tribute to their legacy if 2023 also marked a turning point in reducing the impact of global aviation on the planet.”
Brisbane Airport Corporation has accelerated its targets to reach net zero scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2025. Scope 1 and 2 relate to emissions generated from the company’s direct activity.
However, Scope 3 emissions – which includes activity by third parties, including businesses operating at Brisbane Airport, and of course, aviation – accounts for the vast majority of emissions.
“Increasing the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) as an alternative to fossil fuels is essential for the de-carbonisation of the aviation industry sector and its long-term sustainability and Brisbane Airport wants to be a leader in the SAF industry,” Ms Paris said.
Brisbane Airport has signed onto the World Economic Forum’s Clean Skies for Tomorrow initiative, which seeks to accelerate the supply and use of sustainable aviation fuel to ten per cent by 2030.
The company is also the only Australian Airport to become a signatory for the Mission Possible Partnership (MPP) Aviation Transition Strategy. The aviation sector through this MPP is activating an alliance of global partners to supercharge the decarbonisation of the industry.
On her first official visit to Brisbane Airport in August, Federal Transport Minister, Catherine King, launched Australia’s first all-electric aircraft refuelling vehicle, developed by Air bp.
“Our hope is that in the not-too-distant future, we will see an all-electric refueller pumping sustainable aviation fuel into aircraft at Brisbane Airport, and dramatically reducing the impact aviation has on our planet,” Ms Paris said.
