The International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) praised the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) council agreement on standards that will enable states and airlines to implement the market-based Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), saying it establishes a single fair system for international aviation.

ICAO on Thursday announced the adoption of the First Edition of Annex 16, Volume IV, laying out the standards and recommended practices (SARPs) to implement CORSIA. “This is a major step to the implementation of CORSIA, and we commend ICAO for adopting the SARPs package at an accelerated pace,” said IBAC director general Kurt Edwards. 

IBAC called CORSIA a part of a broader industry strategy to address emissions, saying it aligns with the Business Aviation Commitment on Climate Change that the industry rolled out in 2009. As originally agreed, most business aviation operators and smaller aircraft would be exempt.

But IBAC encourages operators to visit its web page on CORSIA to see if it would apply to their operations. IBAC has been offering workshops to explain the system and how operators must complete and submit an emission-monitoring plan. One such workshop will be held during the NBAA Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition in October in Orlando, Florida.

“States must now translate a new set of global standards into national requirements in time for the January 2019 launch of CORSIA,” Edwards said. CORSIA is expected to officially launch next year, but carbon-offsetting elements will begin on a voluntary basis in 2021. “Just as operators are working hard to understand their obligations, we urge states to focus efforts on preparing themselves for timely and orderly implementation.”