India to participate in ICAO’s CORSIA and LTAG

India has announced that it will participate in the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) and the Long-Term Aspirational Goals (LTAG) from 2027. The decision was made at a meeting of the Parliament’s Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Civil Aviation held in New Delhi and chaired by the Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia.

ICAO has been tasked with reducing carbon emissions from international civil aviation. To achieve this goal, the global body has adopted several key aspirational goals, including a two per cent annual fuel efficiency improvement through 2050, carbon neutral growth, and net zero by 2050. These goals are clubbed under CORSIA and LTAG.

CORSIA is to be implemented in three phases, and financial implications due to offsetting have to be borne by individual airlines, depending upon their international operations. It is applicable only to flights originating from one country to another.

The Indian Ministry has stated that “this will enable airlines of developing countries like India to get time to grow more so that they do not face any adverse financial consequences due to CORSIA.” The financial implications of offsetting would have had a significant impact on airlines in developing countries. Joining the initiative in 2027 will give Indian airlines time to expand their operations and avoid any adverse financial consequences.

ICAO is an intergovernmental specialized agency associated with the United Nations (UN) that was established in 1947 by the Convention on International Civil Aviation (1944) known as the Chicago Convention. The headquarters of ICAO is located in Montreal, Canada.

ICAO is dedicated to developing safe and efficient international air transport for peaceful purposes and ensuring a reasonable opportunity for every state to operate international airlines. It sets standards and regulations necessary for aviation safety, security and facilitation, efficiency, and economic development of air transport, as well as to improve the environmental performance of aviation. It also serves as a clearinghouse for cooperation and discussion on civil aviation issues among its 193 member states. ICAO promotes regional and international agreements aimed at liberalizing aviation markets. It helps to establish legal standards to ensure that the growth of aviation does not compromise safety, and encourages the development of other aspects of international aviation law.

CORSIA is a global market-based measure designed to offset international aviation CO2 emissions in order to stabilize the levels of such emissions. Offset of CO2 emissions will be achieved through the acquisition and cancellation of emissions units from the global carbon market by aeroplane operators. It does not apply to domestic aviation. Under it, aircraft operators will begin monitoring their emissions from international flights and begin acquiring offsets for their emissions growth.