The launch of Sustainable Aviation’s 2026 Decarbonisation Road-map was an important reminder that aviation’s journey to net zero won’t be delivered by a single breakthrough – it will require many solutions working together.

Ian Jopson, Sustainability Director at NATS reflects on Sustainable Skies World Summit 2026, where he presented to industry attendees on the role airspace modernisation and non-CO₂ contribute to shaping the future of sustainable air travel.

The aviation industry is at a pivotal moment. With the climate crisis accelerating, airlines, regulators, fuel producers, and technology innovators gathered once again at the Sustainable Skies World Congress to discuss how aviation can continue moving toward net zero emissions by 2050.

Last week I attended the Sustainable Skies World Summit in Farnborough where SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel), hydrogen propulsion and new technology led the conversation.

Last week, I was at the Wings India event in Hyderabad alongside other sustainability leaders from across aviation. My message was that this must be a decade of action on climate change for our industry and ATM has a leading role to play.

Virgin Atlantic’s Flight100 is a landmark moment, offering a glimpse into commercial long-haul flight powered by sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). This week’s historic flight across the Atlantic showcased the results of a radical collaborative effort, and NATS is proud to have supported this achievement.

NATS was recently named in the 2023 Financial Times-Statista Climate Leaders list, for the third consecutive year. The prestigious list names just 500 European companies that have achieved the greatest reduction in emissions intensity since 2016. So, what have we been up to, and what are our future commitments as we move towards a decarbonised aviation industry? Our newly published ‘Transition Plan’ compiles the journey so far and gives a preview of our ambitions for the next five years.