We help policymakers and industry make informed decisions about climate-neutral aviation.

Independent analysis and whole-system insight into aviation transition.

The 2030 sustainable aviation goals establish a strict five-year roadmap to activate four breakthrough, system-wide transformations and avoid derailing the aviation sector’s goal of reaching net-zero climate impact by 2050.

Aviation

Operation blue skies

Rerouting flights to avoid contrail formation could reduce aviation’s total climate impact by up to 40% — at an average cost of just 1% on a ticket price.

Systems efficiency

Flying slower, replacing fleets faster, and matching aircraft to routes could cut aviation fuel burn by up to 50% by 2050 without any new technology.

Truly sustainable and scalable fuel

Sustainable aviation fuel can deliver 50–70% emissions reductions by 2050, but only if governments act now to coordinate biomass use across sectors.

Moonshots

Investing immediately in frontier technologies like hydrogen propulsion gives governments a once-in-a-generation opportunity to lead a new industry.

Partners & contributors

We collaborate with stakeholders across academia, industry and government.

Latest insights

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New study from the Aviation Impact Accelerator highlights opportunity to significantly reduce climate impact through contrail avoidance

March 30, 2026

Reducing climate impact through contrail avoidance

A new study published in Nature Communications by Dr Jessie Smith from the Aviation Impact…

Aviation Impact Accelerator work highlights the need for coordinated policy action to accelerate climate-neutral aviation

March 23, 2026

Accelerating Net Zero Flight: A Year of Impact with DESNZ and the Aviation Impact Accelerator

December 19, 2025

AIA and Giving Green: A new collaboration

December 19, 2025

Explore our work

Supporting the UK’s transition to Jet Zero through the SAF Mandate

Our impact

Convening evidence-led dialogue on the future of UK aviation

Our impact

The 2030 sustainable aviation goals: Five years to chart a new future for aviation

Target True Zero – Unlocking sustainable battery and hydrogen-powered flight

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Ongoing contribution to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

Our impact

Developing marginal abatement cost curves for net zero aviation

Our impact

The climate opportunities and risks of contrail avoidance

Our work draws upon the University of Cambridge‘s academic expertise and research rigour, together with the engineering capabilities of the Whittle Laboratory and the sustainability and policy expertise of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL).

Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership