Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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508. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the work his Department has carried out to ensure Ireland’s aviation sector are meeting the commitments outlined in the Climate Action Plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42863/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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It is important to clarify at the outset, that emissions from international aviation are outside the scope of the Climate Action Plan. Further, the overall effect on transport emission trends in Ireland from domestic aviation is negligible. For these reasons, my response is largely focussed on the broader context of the international policy objective of reducing aviation emissions.

The global approach to decarbonisation of the industry is based on the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) ‘basket of measures’ which identifies four pillars from which reductions are to be realised. These are aircraft technology improvements, operational improvements, the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs), and a global market-based measure known as the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation.

The ICAO initiative on State Action Plans for the reduction of CO2 emissions from international aviation aims to facilitate the path towards aviation decarbonisation and the mitigation of the impact of aviation on the global climate.

My Department recently published an update to Ireland's State Action Plan, which summarises the activities of the European Union, the European Civil Aviation Conference and national aviation stakeholders to reduce CO2 emissions from aviation. A copy of Ireland’s State Action Plan is available on my Department’s website.

At a European level, Ireland continues to support the EU’s “Fit for 55 Package” which aims to facilitate a minimum net 55% EU greenhouse gas emission reduction by 2030. Furthermore, there are a number of EU regulations and directives in place that are aimed at reducing aviation emissions. This includes the EU Emissions Trading System, and the ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation which places an obligation on aviation fuel suppliers to supply an increasing share of aviation fuel blended with SAF at European Union airports and requires airlines to increase uptake of SAF in predefined incremental steps.

At a national level, our airports are also taking steps to reduce their environmental impact. These measures contribute to an overall reduction in the carbon footprint of aviation, extending sustainability efforts beyond the aircraft and fuel, to include the entire aviation ecosystem.

Finally, of the ICAO 'basket of measures', it is widely acknowledged that the deployment of SAFs will play the greatest role in decarbonising the aviation sector in the short to medium term. In recognition of the important contribution that SAFs can make, the Programme for Government includes a strong commitment to develop a National SAF Policy Roadmap.

To help us in this endeavour, my Department established the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Task Force to bring together government departments and agencies, airlines, airports, academia and representative bodies. With the assistance of the Task Force, the Roadmap will set out a direction of travel for the deployment of SAF in Ireland.