The ATAG Member Briefing

Waypoint 2050 update

One of ATAG’s priorities in 2025 is to update the Waypoint 2050 analysis that was published in 2021. The Waypoint 2050 project identified various pathways for the decarbonisation of air transport. The purpose of the update is to assess the progress towards net zero. ATAG set up a number of working groups which ran in 2024 and 2025, bringing together industry experts to provide their input. This culminated in a workshop that ATAG organised in Washington, D.C. in May 2025, which was kindly hosted by Boeing. The workshop was facilitated by Philippe Bonnefoy of the consultancy BlueSky, who has been leading the Waypoint 2050 work. More than 50 industry experts joined the workshop, representing aviation associations, airframe manufacturers, component manufacturers, airlines, engine manufacturers, SAF companies, leasing companies and technology providers. The following topics were discussed: 

• Review of the updated assumptions and implications on analyses, including traffic forecasts, aircraft technology assumptions, operations and infrastructure and SAF.
• Evolving roles of residual carbon mitigation measures, including how the transition from offsetting towards carbon dioxide removals could be managed and conveyed to external stakeholders.
• Integration of the updated assumptions into a 3rd edition of Waypoint 2050.
• Development of key messages to convey to policymakers, the energy industry and finance sector.

The workshop outcomes are currently being consolidated in coordination with the ATAG Board and specific working groups, with a view to releasing a public-facing report around September 2025, before the ICAO Assembly.