Sustainable Skies Summit drives measurable progress toward a net-zero aviation future, with government and industry action
The Sustainable Skies World Summit 2026, a major global aviation event, currently underway, is bringing together governments, industry leaders and sustainability experts to advance tangible progress toward net-zero aviation, with a focus on sustainable fuels, carbon removal, next-generation technologies and investment pathways shaping the future of air travel.
In a press statement, the organisers say that the event brought together industry stakeholders, policymakers and sustainability advocates to address the sector’s most pressing challenges, with a strong focus on practical implementation across regulatory and operational requirements, sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), finance and investment, carbon offsets and removals, non-CO2 emissions, next-generation technologies and hydrogen aviation.
It adds that the summit also featured the update of the United Kingdom Government on its ‘Jet Zero’ strategy. Keir Mather, Minister for Aviation, Maritime and Decarbonisation, launched the Jet Zero Taskforce’s first annual report, detailing measurable steps to decarbonise air travel.
Central to these efforts is the UK’s SAF Mandate, introduced in January 2025, requiring fuel suppliers to blend SAF starting at 2 pc and rising to 10 pc by 2030, providing a long-term signal to accelerate production and adoption. He further highlighted the revenue certainty mechanism to unlock private investment, alongside GBP 63 million awarded through the Advanced Fuels Fund in 2025.
Matt Ridley
According to the statement, in addition to these efforts, Sustainable Aviation unveiled a GBP 2 million ‘Advanced Market Signal’ initiative aimed at expanding greenhouse gas removal (GGR) markets. Industry participants have pledged to buy carbon removal credits, helping to develop a market projected to need 20-30 million tonnes of removals each year by 2050.
“We as a sector are so important to the global economy. We have got to find a way of having less of an impact on the environment. So, Sustainable Skies is an important, inspiring opportunity to meet other people from other parts of the sector and I have been really encouraged to see how sustainability is represented and meet the people thinking about a more sustainable future for aviation in Farnborough,” says Matt Ridley, Director of Sustainability and Innovation, Oneworld.