Decarbonising Aviation: Why Collaboration Will Define the Flight Path to Net Zero

As global focus on climate action intensifies, aviation finds itself under sustained and growing scrutiny. Few sectors face such a difficult balancing act: enabling global connectivity while significantly reducing environmental impact. A recent webinar hosted by the IET’s Aerospace Technical Network brought this challenge into sharp focus, exploring what meaningful decarbonisation in aviation will actually require.

The session, led by industry experts Andrew Chadwick and Andy Reynolds, examined the scale of aviation’s emissions challenge, the technologies emerging to address it, and the policy and infrastructure decisions that will ultimately determine success. One message was clear throughout: there is no single solution. Decarbonising aviation will depend on coordinated progress across technology, policy, and industry collaboration.

Aviation emissions: back on the rise

During the pandemic, global aviation emissions fell sharply as travel demand collapsed. For a brief period, the sector’s climate impact appeared to ease. That moment has passed.

Air traffic has now rebounded close to pre-COVID levels, and long-term forecasts suggest continued growth in passenger and freight demand. Without intervention, this trajectory risks locking in higher emissions for decades to come.

Aviation’s climate impact is also complex. Beyond carbon dioxide, aircraft emissions at altitude contribute to warming through contrails and nitrogen oxides. Addressing aviation’s footprint therefore requires a systemic approach rather than a single technological fix.

As in other safety-critical industries, progress must be grounded in structured thinking, risk management, and operational discipline. In technical training environments, these foundations are reinforced through frameworks such as health and safety training for engineers, which underpin responsible innovation as new technologies move from concept to deployment.

Multiple strategies, one destination

The webinar outlined several complementary pathways that together form aviation’s decarbonisation roadmap. None are sufficient on their own, but each plays a role.

Improving aircraft efficiency

Incremental gains in aircraft efficiency remain one of the most immediate ways to reduce emissions. Advances in aerodynamics, lighter materials, and more efficient engines continue to lower fuel burn per passenger kilometre.

Operational improvements also matter. Weight reduction, optimised climb and descent profiles, and improved maintenance practices can deliver meaningful reductions without waiting for new aircraft designs.

These improvements may lack the visibility of headline technologies, but they provide reliable, near-term progress while longer-term solutions mature.

Sustainable aviation fuels

Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) are widely seen as a critical component of aviation’s transition. Produced from waste materials, biomass, or synthetic processes, SAF can significantly reduce lifecycle emissions compared to conventional jet fuel.

However, the challenges are substantial. Supply remains limited, production costs are high, and scaling SAF requires coordinated investment across fuel producers, airlines, and governments.

The discussion highlighted the importance of lifecycle analysis, ensuring that emissions reductions are genuine rather than displaced elsewhere in the system. This mirrors broader sustainability thinking across technical sectors, where accountability increasingly extends beyond direct operations, supported by initiatives such as a formal carbon reduction plan for training providers and technology-led organisations alike.

Hydrogen and electric propulsion

Few topics generated as much interest as hydrogen and electric propulsion. Projects such as Airbus’s ZeroE concept are exploring hydrogen-powered aircraft using fuel cells or direct combustion, while electric propulsion continues to advance for smaller platforms.

Hydrogen offers the potential for zero carbon emissions at point of use, but introduces major challenges around storage, distribution, and safety. Liquid hydrogen requires cryogenic systems and new airport infrastructure, while supply chains must scale rapidly to meet demand.

Electric aircraft face energy density constraints that limit range and payload, making them most suitable for short-haul routes, regional travel, and emerging urban air mobility applications.

As with all disruptive technologies, success depends not only on engineering breakthroughs, but on careful integration into existing systems. Structured assessment of hazards and controls remains essential, reflecting principles found in professional learning around risk assessment fundamentals.

Smarter airspace and operations

One of the most immediately actionable levers discussed was airspace optimisation. Improving flight routing, reducing holding patterns, and modernising air traffic management systems can deliver emissions reductions today.

These changes often rely on better data sharing, coordination between operators, and investment in digital infrastructure. While less visible than new aircraft designs, smarter airspace management offers a high return on investment in both emissions reduction and operational efficiency.

Clear communication between stakeholders is critical in this context. In complex systems, misunderstandings can undermine progress. Structured approaches to effective communication in construction and engineering provide useful parallels for managing multi-actor aviation systems.

Policy, regulation, and public confidence

Technology alone will not deliver aviation decarbonisation. Policy frameworks play a decisive role in shaping investment decisions and market behaviour.

The UK’s Jet Zero strategy and SAF mandates were discussed as important steps, but speakers noted that progress remains uneven internationally. Aviation is a global industry, and fragmented regulation risks slowing deployment or creating competitive imbalances.

Public acceptance also emerged as a key consideration. New aircraft types, including electric air taxis and unmanned aerial vehicles, raise questions around safety, noise, and airspace integration. Building trust will require transparent standards, rigorous certification, and consistent communication.

As with other technical fields, credibility depends on evidence rather than aspiration. In education and industry, trust is often reinforced through independent feedback and demonstrated outcomes, reflected in resources such as a training provider reviews page that prioritises lived experience over claims.

Collaboration as the critical enabler

Perhaps the strongest theme of the webinar was the need for collaboration across sectors. Governments, manufacturers, airlines, airports, energy providers, and regulators all influence different parts of the aviation system.

No single organisation can deliver net zero aviation alone. Coordinated investment, aligned incentives, and shared infrastructure planning are essential to avoid duplication and inefficiency.

The Q&A session illustrated the interconnected nature of the challenge. Questions ranged from emissions embedded in aircraft manufacturing, to the potential role of alternative fuels such as ammonia, to hydrogen safety standards and global policy alignment.

These discussions reinforced that aviation decarbonisation is not just a technical problem. It is a systems challenge that spans economics, regulation, infrastructure, and human behaviour.

A long-term journey with near-term action

Decarbonising aviation will not follow a single timeline. Different solutions will mature at different rates, and regional variation will shape adoption.

Smaller electric and hydrogen aircraft are likely to appear first on short-haul routes, while SAF and efficiency improvements carry the burden of emissions reduction for long-haul flights in the near term. Over time, these pathways may converge as technology and infrastructure evolve.

This layered approach reflects a broader reality across engineering disciplines: long-term transformation depends on sustained progress rather than sudden breakthroughs. It also reinforces why engineering careers remain resilient and adaptable, aligning with wider discussions about why engineering and trade careers remain a strong long-term choice in an era of technological change.

Knowledge-sharing as a catalyst for progress

Webinars like this play an important role in accelerating change. They create spaces where ideas can be tested, assumptions challenged, and connections formed across traditional boundaries.

By bringing together experts from different parts of the aviation ecosystem, the IET’s Aerospace Technical Network helps translate ambition into practical action. These conversations may not deliver immediate solutions, but they build the shared understanding required for collective progress.

Charting the course to net zero

Aviation’s path to net zero will be demanding, complex, and at times uncomfortable. It will require trade-offs, investment, and patience. But it also offers an opportunity to rethink how a vital global industry operates.

Decarbonisation is not about grounding aviation. It is about enabling it to evolve responsibly.

With sustained collaboration, clear policy direction, and continued innovation, the sector can move beyond incremental change and towards a genuinely sustainable future. Watch the full event to explore the discussion in more detail and hear directly from the experts shaping aviation’s next chapter.