IATA environmental assessment programme improving biofuels

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) declared that five airlines have recently successfully completed stages of the IATA Environmental Assessment (IEnvA) programme. IEnvA is a voluntary, two-stage evaluation process designed to drive airline environmental performance improvements by independent assessment.

Both Finnair and South African Airways have completed the IEnvA Stage 2 assessment, the highest level of IEnvA achievement. This makes sure that an airline has implemented all of the IEnvA program standards, identified and alleviated its significant environmental impacts, and has set performance targets. Stage 2 also ascertains that an airline has developed procedures for checking and inspecting its performance against its environmental targets and objectives.

Icelandair, Qatar Airways and SriLankan Airlines have completed IEnvA Stage 1 which ensures an airline has created a foundation and framework for its environmental management system. Stage 1 also ensures an airline has recognised and complied with its environmental legal requirements.

These five airlines join an increasing number of carriers that have successfully completed IEnvA Stage 1 Assessments, including Air Transat, Kenya Airways, LATAM, LATAM Cargo and Malaysia Airlines.

'In addition to safety, environmental responsibility is the highest priority for the industry. The new IATA Environmental Assessment sits alongside our industry-wide carbon-reduction targets as a programme for ensuring airlines not only meet, but also exceed their day-to-day operational environmental obligations and performance,' says Tony Tyler, IATA's director-general and CEO.'IATA's audits and assessment schemes are impartial, independent evaluations designed to improve industry performance against global benchmarks. The IATA Operational Safety Audit has done much to help improve airline safety and we expect that the IEnvA will do the same for environmental standards.'

The IEnvA programme uses environmental standards and recommended practices developed specifically for the aviation sector by a joint team of environmental experts from within and outside the industry. These are based on recognised environmental management system principles, such as ISO 14001. Assessments are conducted by accredited independent organisations with competencies in aviation and environmental auditing.

IEnvA helps airlines to simplify regulatory compliance, demonstrate good governance and achieve financial savings from the better use of resources.

The IEnvA programme is complementary to the aviation industry's four-pillar strategy for addressing climate change impacts. In 2009 the industry agreed to cap emissions through carbon-neutral growth from 2020, and cut net emissions by 50% (compared to 2005) by 2050, through a combination of technology and operations improvements, better use of infrastructure, and the implementation of a global market-based measure.