The Transport Secretary announced plans to establish the Jet Zero Council on 12 June 2020. It formed part of his coronavirus daily briefing focussed on a “green transport recovery”.

The Jet Zero Council held its first meeting in the summer of 2020. It is chaired by both the Business Secretary and Transport Secretary. The Jet Zero Gov.uk page explains:

The JZC will focus on developing UK capabilities to deliver net zero-emission commercial flight by:

  • developing and industrialising zero-emission aviation and aerospace technologies
  • establishing UK production facilities for sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and commercialising the industry by driving down production costs
  • developing a coordinated approach to the policy and regulatory framework needed to deliver net zero aviation by 2050

The objectives of the JZC are to:

  • provide ministerial and senior industry leadership on efforts to deliver UK capabilities for net zero aviation
  • identify and optimise the strategic, economic and international benefits of developing these industries in the UK, and overcome the barriers industry face in achieving these goals
  • accelerate the design, manufacture, testing, certification, infrastructure and commercial operation of zero emission aircraft and aviation systems in the UK through sustained investment in applied research and development (R&D) and fostering greater collaboration across sectors
  • accelerate the delivery of SAF by supporting the investment in first-of-a-kind SAF plants, supporting research and development of new pathways and driving down production costs through upscaling and innovation
  • support grassroots innovation in these areas and make the UK the best place in the world to develop new aviation technology
  • challenge existing approaches by involving disruptors and innovators in the dialogue

You can see the full Jet Zero Council membership list here.

You can read more about the work of the Jet Zero Council and the wider challenges presented in decarbonising the aviation sector in the Commons Library briefing: Aviation, decarbonisation and climate change

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