Video of the week: Decarbonising flight - aviation’s race against time

Sustainability has become one of the defining strategic challenges facing global aviation. As governments, investors and consumers intensify pressure for meaningful emissions reductions, airlines must balance ambitious environmental targets with the commercial realities of operating a highly competitive industry.

While Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is emerging as the most immediate pathway to lowering aviation emissions, limited supply and high costs continue to constrain large-scale adoption.

At the same time, hydrogen and electric propulsion technologies offer the prospect of transformative change but face significant technological, infrastructure and economic hurdles before widespread deployment becomes viable.

Beyond propulsion, airlines are pursuing operational efficiencies, fleet modernisation and digital optimisation to reduce fuel consumption and emissions today.

This session from the CAPA Airline Leader Summit - Airlines in Transition in Berlin in Apr-2026 explored how airlines, manufacturers, fuel producers and policymakers can accelerate progress toward aviation's sustainability goals, and whether collaboration across the industry will prove essential to achieving meaningful long-term decarbonisation.