22 May 2024 | Stratos (Monaco) and the Aviation Impact Accelerator (AIA) (Cambridge, UK) have today announced a collaboration to accelerate the aviation sector’s transition to net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050.

This partnership will assist the AIA in understanding the operational and financial levers that need to be pulled to transition aviation towards net zero. This collaboration will support the development of the AIA’s scenario-based tools to help airlines analyse and evaluate different decarbonization pathways.

The AIA initiative is co-led by the University of Cambridge’s Whittle Laboratory and Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL). It is an international group of multi-disciplinary experts developing evidence-based systems, modelling capability, visualisations, and specialised tools to support policy makers, the aviation industry and the wider public with the insights necessary to map, understand and accelerate pathways towards sustainable aviation.

Stratos bring vital industry experience in fleet management including potential pathways to accelerating fleet building, understanding the role of lessors in the transition and the crucial role of finance, and leveraging investment as a tool for decarbonisation.

The purpose of this collaboration is to support better-informed decisions by airlines and policy-makers in the transition to net zero. The collaboration will set a solid foundation for Stratos and the AIA to develop a wider, long-term partnership.

Gary Fitzgerald, CEO of Stratos, said:

“Aviation is one of the highest-profile and most difficult-to-decarbonise sectors, making it amongst the top sustainability challenges we face. Understanding exactly what is happening and communicating this to policy makers is an important early step in addressing these challenges. This collaboration with the AIA is an evolution of our investment in early-stage hydrogen powered aircraft programme (hydrogen.aero) and we are thrilled to become part of this exciting collaboration”

Rob Miller, Director of the Whittle Laboratory and co-lead of the AIA, said:

“We are delighted to join forces with the Stratos. It is vital that the AIA takes a whole systems approach that includes all areas of the aviation ecosystem. The expertise of Stratos as a lessor and its understanding of the potential for fleet management efficiencies makes them a crucial partner for the AIA.”