Video of the week: Aviation’s sustainability reckoning – reset, reform or risk falling behind

Sustainability has shifted from a long-term aspiration to an immediate strategic stress test for the global aviation industry. With a collective commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2050, airlines now face growing evidence that interim targets - particularly around sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) uptake, fleet renewal and operational efficiency - are slipping out of reach.

A recent session at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit World in Lisbon confronted a critical question for senior decision-makers: is aviation approaching a genuine tipping point, or is it time to recalibrate expectations, timelines and cost-sharing mechanisms?

The discussion is framed against a backdrop of real-world constraints. SAF production continues to lag demand despite policy mandates in Europe and parts of Asia Pacific, aircraft delivery delays are stretching fleet plans well into the 2030s, and airspace modernisation remains fragmented by national interests.

These pressures have prompted several major airlines to publicly revise or defer previously announced sustainability milestones, signalling a growing disconnect between ambition and delivery.

The session explored whether current regulatory approaches - such as SAF blending mandates, emissions trading schemes, and restrictions on short-haul flying - are accelerating progress or unintentionally distorting investment and network decisions. It also examined the limits of cost pass-through in a price-sensitive market, and how much of a sustainability premium passengers, corporates and governments can realistically absorb.

Crucially, the session reframed sustainability not solely as a compliance challenge, but as a systemic efficiency opportunity - one that demands closer coordination across airlines, manufacturers, energy producers, airports and regulators.

For industry leaders, the conversation offered a timely and pragmatic assessment of how aviation can move from rhetoric to resilience in its sustainability journey.