The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) is working with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to lower carbon emissions from air travel, with the aim of reaching zero emissions by 2050.
CAAT Director Suthipong Kongpool confirmed the agency’s plan to join hands with ICAO at the 2023 ICAO Environmental Regional Seminar for the Asia Pacific Region. He said the CAAT will cooperate with ICAO member countries in the Asia Pacific region to lower carbon dioxide emissions, as mandated by the 41st Session of the ICAO Assembly in October 2022.
According to the director, the CAAT has already implemented the ICAO’s Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation – a policy mechanism meant to meet environmental goals at a lesser cost and with greater flexibility. Under this scheme, airliners are required to report their carbon emissions to CAAT and will gain carbon credits if they can control their gas emissions.
The CAAT director added that the agency is studying various measures such as improving operations, rearranging air traffic, and searching for more efficient methods or innovations to reduce emissions. He acknowledged that these implementations for the aviation industry will be an expensive investment, but said the results will be worth it and urged aviation companies to prepare for future changes. (NNT)
