NBAA Applauds Progress on International Aircraft-Emissions Policy
Contact: Dan Hubbard, (202) 783-9360, 
Washington, DC, February 18, 2013 - The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) today welcomed two notable accomplishments by a global body tasked with creating standards, which will begin to limit aircraft-carbon emissions and continue to reduce noise levels in the near term.
The Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP) wrapped up its current three-year assignment from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) on Feb. 14 with recommendations for creating both a metric and standards on carbon-dioxide emissions, and for reducing noise levels emitted by aircraft between now and 2020.
"These accomplishments highlight a spirit of global cooperation among nations when it comes to aviation policymaking," said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. "Our Association, along with the International Business Aviation Council and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, worked diligently with these groups to create standards that are technically and economically feasible, as well as environmentally beneficial."
Creation of a Carbon-Emissions Standard
Carbon emissions by aircraft are difficult to measure consistently across a wide range of business aircraft types because a single power plant can behave differently when used in different aircraft configurations. Over the past three years, a CAEP working group of exceptional size, including representatives from the business aviation communities in the U.S. and Europe, worked diligently to create a metric by which all aircraft-carbon emissions can be measured, and a standard by which that metric can be used.
"This represents a milestone," Bolen said. "With these tools, all of aviation, including the business aviation community, can provide a meaningful way to standardize and measure emissions reductions, as part of the industry's overall goal of significantly lowering aircraft emissions by the year 2050."
Reducing Aircraft Noise
The CAEP Working Group on noise reduction was tasked in 2010 with revising Annex 16 to the Chicago Convention, which outlines standards for noise reduction, and governs civil aviation worldwide. After extensive technical and economic analysis, the Working Group, made up of representatives from countries and companies from around the world, recommended a new standard, Chapter 14, for airplanes. The new standard calls for a seven-decibel reduction (-7epndb) in noise generated by large aircraft (larger than 55 metric tons) built after 2017, and a similar reduction in noise generated by smaller aircraft built after 2020.
"The Working Group realized that a seven-decibel reduction would be more difficult to achieve for manufacturers of smaller aircraft, and that more time would be needed for compliance," Bolen said. "That's why they have three more years for research, development and testing, to ensure they can meet the standard while maintaining the high levels of quality that are the hallmarks of the general aviation industry."
The CAEP recommendations will be reviewed by the ICAO Council this Spring, and taken up for approval by the ICAO General Assembly, a triennial gathering which takes place later this year.
Learn more about NBAA's work on environmental issues.
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