Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA)
Why in News?
On 29–30 July 2026, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu chaired a stakeholder meeting to fast-track India’s readiness for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) adoption and CORSIA compliance, directing all concerned to expedite action before 2027.
Purpose & Mechanism
- Target Focus: It regulates emissions strictly from international civil aviation, which is excluded from the UNFCCC's Paris Agreement.
- Carbon Neutral Growth: The primary goal is stabilizing net carbon emissions from international aviation against an established 2019 baseline.
- Offsetting System: Airlines exceeding the baseline must purchase and retire certified carbon credits called Eligible Emissions Units (EEUs) from approved programs (e.g., Gold Standard, Verra).
- Double Counting Prevention: Host countries must formally authorize EEUs to ensure emissions cuts are not claimed by both the airline and the host nation.
Implementation Phases
- Pilot Phase (2021–2023): Initial voluntary phase for ICAO member states to test reporting mechanisms.
- Phase 1 (2024–2026): Current voluntary phase, which has seen participation steadily grow to 130 member nations.
- Phase 2 (2027–2035): Fully mandatory phase for all qualifying ICAO member states, excluding least developed nations and small aviation markets.
Scope & Thresholds
- Applicability: It applies strictly to routes where both the departure and destination countries participate in the scheme.
- Operator Limit: Aircraft operators emitting 10,000 tonnes or more of COâ‚‚ annually from international flights must strictly comply with its Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) systems.
- Exemptions: Military, humanitarian, and firefighting aviation operations are fully exempt from the mechanism.
- Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF): Airlines can directly lower their offsetting obligations by blending renewables or lower-carbon aviation fuels that meet specific sustainability criteria.
- In-Sector Complements: The scheme works alongside technological innovations, operational efficiency upgrades, and smarter flying structures.
