Ecobiz.asia – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has called on governments to strengthen the global framework for aviation emissions by ensuring broad participation and consistent implementation of the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA).
Adopted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Assembly in 2016, CORSIA established the first global market-based measure for an industrial sector and became an important follow-up to the Paris Agreement.
More than 130 countries now participate in CORSIA. The scheme is expected to have mitigated around 200 million tonnes of CO2 emissions by the end of 2026, while from 2027 it is estimated to cover about 85% of global aviation emissions.
IATA estimates that CORSIA could mobilize up to $120 billion in climate finance through the end of the scheme to support emissions-reduction and carbon-removal projects globally.
“As the first global, sector-wide climate agreement for aviation, CORSIA showcases the best of international collaboration: a global solution to a global challenge,” said Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA’s Senior Vice President Sustainability and Chief Economist in a statemen on Tuesday (Oct. 6, 2026).
She said CORSIA preserves a level playing field for international aviation while channeling climate finance to emissions-reduction efforts around the world.
“And in a world increasingly characterized by fragmentation, that is a powerful reminder of what can be achieved when states work together,” Thomsen said.
She said CORSIA had already become a landmark achievement and could become one of the most successful examples of climate action and climate finance with broad participation, consistent implementation and continued government support.
The call comes as international aviation faces growing pressure to reduce emissions while maintaining a globally coordinated approach to carbon pricing and climate finance. ***
