The Argentine Government, by Resolution 366/2021, through the National Civil Aviation Administration (ANAC), approved the text of the 2021 Edition of the «Action Plan of the Argentine State for the Reduction of CO2 Emissions in Aviation», which reinforces the commitment of the Argentine Republic with the objectives set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in relation to CO2 emissions and climate change.

The plan was updated with the collaboration of different government agencies and companies related to the airline industry, including ANAC; the Regulatory Body of the National Airport System (ORSNA); Aerolíneas Argentinas, and Intercargo; the National Air Navigation Company (EANA) and the National Ministry of Transportation. In addition, the National Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development and the Directorate of Environmental Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship also participated.

The new plan refreshes the one adopted in 2014, which considered different initiatives to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from airline operations in Argentina. At that time, Aerolíneas Argentinas also drafted the Fuel Efficiency Plan with which it discussed the renewal of its fleet and carried out some measures to reduce the weight of aircraft and improve operating systems. According to a report published by ANAC, the flag carrier has sustained a progressive reduction in fuel consumption per kilometer paid of 2% year-on-year.

Summarized in numbers, the emissions from the aero commercial operation in Argentina, according to ANAC data, were around 3,220,452 tCO2 in 2019 -with 245,894 commercial flights-, from which 97% corresponded to emissions generated by the airlines with Argentine registration and, the remaining 3% to the airport areas.

The reduction of emissions through efficiency in airport management was also discussed, in which the creation of EANA had a significant impact. The renewal of airports, as well as the installation of primary, secondary and meteorological radars, and the optimization of airspace have contributed to the efficiency of operations.

However, a remaining issue is the promotion of the use of sustainable aviation fuels -SAF- as an indispensable tool to reduce the carbon footprint in the short term. In this respect, a working group was organized and agreements were signed with the National Institute of Industrial Technology (INTI), but there is still no certainty about its potential use in the Argentine market.

The new Action Plan of the Argentine State for the Reduction of CO2 Emissions in Aviation seeks to inform about the initiatives that the State has been carrying out during the last years and to set new objectives for the medium and long term, in line with the steps that are being taken in all the markets of the world and in which the States, the companies that are part of the aviation ecosystem and the civil society organizations are involved.

Argentina participates in the Carbon Offset and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation -CORSIA- but due to its low production of emissions in relation to the global total, it is not obliged to enter the offsets phase, although it does apply the requirements of the fuel monitoring, reporting, and verification system.

Under the criteria proposed by CORSIA, as of January 1, 2019, all Argentine-registered air operations, both domestic and international, must register and report annually to ANAC the CO2 emissions data according to the Emissions Monitoring Plan (EMP) developed for such purpose. In 2019, the only airline that submitted its verified emissions report was Aerolíneas Argentinas.

Among the 44 initiatives proposed in the new Plan are:

Air navigation: the installation of new automatic weather stations (AWOS), modernization of approach and landing aid systems (ILS), installation of new radars and modernization of existing ones, optimization of flight paths and en-route airspace.

Airports: separation of solid waste, renovation of ladders and other ground support equipment, construction and renovation of runways, taxiways and rapid exits throughout the National Airport System, LED lighting, emissions inventory, renovation of the ground support vehicle fleet.

Airlines (For the moment, only Aerolíneas Argentinas): configuration of landing and take-off flaps to improve efficiency and modernization of the fleet, reduction of weight on board, operations with real ECON or CI speeds, use of idle reversers during landing in certain conditions, Taxi-in with a single-engine in all fleets, focus on Rosario Airport as an optimal alternative to Aeroparque.

Some supplementary measures will also be adopted and/or reinforced, such as training on air transport and climate change; carbon dioxide tax, which applies to all fuels except natural gas since 2017 and in 2018 has a rate of 1.463 pesos per liter of aviation fuel; regionalization of Aeroparque Jorge Newbery; Development of biofuels for aviation.

All these initiatives, some of which are already being implemented, are aimed at reducing CO2 emissions and the overall environmental impact produced by the airline industry in our country by improving efficiency in all areas involved in the industry.

According to ANAC, civil aviation in Argentina has been growing steadily over the last 20 years, and operations are expected to increase in the future. In view of this scenario, it is necessary that the recently announced Plan meets the expectations of the National State and international organizations, as well as the global trend to promote the sustainable future of aviation.