The Federal Council of Switzerland has endorsed a report advocating for carbon-neutral aviation by 2050, highlighting sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) as a crucial strategy for diminishing fossil CO2 emissions. This initiative, responding to a postulate from the House of Representatives’ Environment Committee, also acknowledges the importance of efficiency improvements in aircraft fleets and operations. However, the potential of hydrogen-fuelled and electric aircraft to significantly reduce emissions is deemed limited until 2050. To support the aviation industry’s transition to carbon neutrality, the federal government plans to implement new subsidies, complementing existing and future mechanisms outlined in the CO2 Act post-2024 for a 70% reduction in carbon emissions from Swiss air traffic. Nonetheless, achieving the net-zero target by 2050 will also necessitate carbon sequestration and storage technologies.
