The International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) second World Sustainability Symposium (WSS) will focus on actions needed to achieve the airline industry’s commitment to net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050. The event will take place in Miami, USA on 24-25 September 2024, hosted by American Airlines (AA).

Key elements to help achieve net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050 being addressed at the WSS include:

• Decarbonization: Focusing on aviation's transition to net-zero CO2 emissions, including how to develop, scale, and deliver the solutions necessary to decarbonize aviation over the 25 years to 2050. Discussions will address how to build the markets for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), carbon removals, and other nascent technologies, and the challenges involved in financing such projects.

• Innovation and Technology: Exploring new aircraft technologies and operational innovations with a focus on the practical aspects of implementing new technologies rapidly to advance the industry’s net-zero CO2 emissions goal.

• Policy and Regulation: Examining the global policy landscape aimed at achieving net-zero CO2 emissions, particularly related to SAF, and the complexities of aligning global regulations and harmonizing SAF policies to scale up production and deployment. 

• Finance and Transparency: Looking at investment challenges; what are the difficulties and opportunities in financing renewable energy projects and SAF production, and how to make the investment case more attractive to stakeholders. The focus will be on strategies for attracting capital, transferring risk, and on what innovation is needed to finance the industry's transition to net zero. Transparency will also be addressed as it is an essential part of the investment challenge in terms of fostering informed and science-based decision-making among investors, airlines, and other stakeholders. 

The WSS is hosted by American Airlines with expected participation by more than 500 professionals from aviation, sustainability, technology, agriculture, trade, development, and finance as well as policy makers and other stakeholders. It is the second time that IATA is organizing the WSS, which has already become a flagship IATA event.

Opening remarks will be delivered by:

• Robert Isom, CEO, American Airlines 

•  Juan Carlos Salazar, Secretary General, ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization)

Following the opening remarks, the CEO panel will feature:

• Robert Isom, CEO, AA

• Annette Mann, CEO, Austrian Airlines 

• Enrique Beltranena, CEO, Volaris 

• Willie Walsh, Director General, IATA.