Jet Zero Council
The Jet Zero Council (JZC) is a partnership between industry, academia and government to bring together ministers and chief executive officer-level stakeholders, with the aim of delivering at least 10% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in the UK fuel mix by 2030 and zero emission transatlantic flight within a generation, driving the ambitious delivery of new technologies and innovative ways to cut aviation emissions.
The Jet Zero Council (JZC) will be the catalyst for zero emission flight across the Atlantic. To achieve this, it will focus on developing UK capabilities to deliver both net zero and zero emission technologies 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 co-ordinated 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
Chairs
- The Rt Hon Claire Coutinho MP, Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary
- The Rt Hon Kemi Badenoch MP, Business and Trade Secretary
- The Rt Hon Mark Harper MP, Transport Secretary
CEO
Emma Gilthorpe, Chief Operating Officer, Heathrow Airport
Members
Members are:
- Anthony Browne MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Decarbonisation and Technology)
- Charlie Cornish, Group Chief Executive, Manchester Airports Group
- Colin Tattam, Director Net Zero and Sustainable Industries, Innovate UK Business Connect
- David Bunch, UK Country Chair, Shell
- David Lee, Professor of Atmospheric Science and Director of the Centre for Aviation, Transport, and the Environment, Manchester Metropolitan University
- Gary Elliott, Chief Executive Officer, Aerospace Technology Institute
- Simon Burr, Group Director of Engineering, Technology and Safety, Rolls-Royce
- Professor Iain Gray, Director of Aerospace, Cranfield University
- Dr Jennifer Holmgren, Chief Executive Officer, LanzaTech
- Johan Lundgren, Chief Executive Officer, easyJet
- Thomas Woldbye, Chief Executive Officer, Heathrow Airport
- Jonathon Counsell, JZC SAF Delivery Group Chair (and Group Head of Sustainability, International Airlines Group)
- Julia King, The Baroness Brown of Cambridge DBE FREng FRS, Jet Zero Council Adviser (and Crossbench Member of the House of Lords)
- Julie Kitcher, Executive Vice President Communications and Corporate Affairs, Airbus
- Karen Dee, Chief Executive, The Airport Operators Association
- Kevin Craven, Chief Executive Officer, ADS Group
- Kyle Martin, Vice President, European Affairs, General Aviation Manufacturers Association
- Louise Kingham OBE, UK Head of Country and Senior Vice President for Europe, bp
- Luke Farajallah, Chief Executive, Loganair
- Maria Laine, President of Boeing UK, Ireland and Nordic region, Boeing
- Matt Gorman MBE, Chair, Sustainable Aviation
- Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, Chief of the Air Staff, Royal Air Force
- Professor Piers Forster, Interim Chair, Climate Change Committee
- Neville Hargreaves, Vice President, Waste to Fuels, Velocys
- Rachel Gardner-Poole, JZC ZEF Delivery Group Chair
- Rob Bishton, Chief Executive Officer, Civil Aviation Authority
- Russ Dunn, Chief Technology Officer and Head of Strategy, GKN Aerospace
- Professor Sarah Sharples, Chief Scientific Adviser, Department for Transport
- Sean Doyle, Chief Executive Officer, British Airways
- Shai Weiss, Chief Executive Officer, Virgin Atlantic
- Stephen Heapy, Chief Executive Officer, Jet2
- Steve Kelly, President, International for 1PointFive
- Tim Alderslade, Chief Executive, Airlines UK
- Tim Johnson, Director, Aviation Environment Federation
- Tom Mackle, UK Airline CEO, DHL
- Val Miftakhov, Chief Executive Officer, ZeroAvia
Delivery groups
To accelerate progress on the objectives of the JZC, we have established focused delivery groups. These reflect the priorities of the JZC and may change over time as policy evolves.
The current delivery groups are:
Sustainable Aviation Fuels Delivery Group
The SAF Delivery Group, chaired by Jonathon Counsell (IAG), working alongside the Department for Transport, provides advice on how government and industry can work together to establish UK production facilities and accelerate the delivery of the fuel to market. It is currently focusing on 3 specific areas:
- development of a SAF mandate
- commercialisation of SAF
- technologies and feedstocks required for SAF production
For any enquiries or to request meeting minutes, contact Innovate UK Business Connect, the SAF Delivery Group secretariat, at jzcsafdg@ktn-uk.org.
Read the SAF Delivery Group terms of reference.
Zero Emission Flight Delivery Group
The ZEF Delivery Group, chaired by Rachel Gardner-Poole working alongside the Department for Transport, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Department for Business and Trade, is providing advice on how government and industry can work together to best accelerate the adoption of zero emission flight and put the UK in a leading position in the race to achieve zero emission flight.
It is building on the work of the Aerospace Technology Institute’s (ATI’s) FlyZero project and DfT’s Zero Emission Flight Infrastructure (ZEFI) project.
It focuses on 3 specific areas:
- zero emission aircraft
- ground infrastructure to support zero emission flight
- regulatory requirements for zero emission flight
For any enquiries, contact ZEF Delivery Group Secretariat at secretariat.jzczefdg@cp.catapult.org.uk.
Read the ZEF Delivery Group terms of reference.
Summaries of the ZEF Delivery Group meetings can be found on Innovate UK Business Connect’s news feed.
JZC meeting minutes
Terms of reference
Purpose
The JZC will provide advice on the government’s ambitions for clean aviation, with the aim of delivering at least 10% SAF in the UK fuel mix by 2030 and deliver zero-emission transatlantic flight within a generation. A dynamic government, industry and academia partnership, the council will focus on developing UK capabilities to deliver both net zero and zero emission technologies by:
- developing and industrialising zero emission aviation and aerospace technologies
- establishing UK production facilities for 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
Objectives
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 and constraints industry face in achieving these goals.
- Accelerate the designing, manufacturing, testing, certification, infrastructure and commercial operation of zero emission aircraft and aviation systems in the UK through sustained investment in applied research and development 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.
Scope
The council will advise on efforts to deliver net zero and zero emission aviation through UK production of zero emission flight and SAF, recognising the role of all current and future forms of commercial aviation in the technology pathway. Wider decarbonisation levers will be delivered through the Jet Zero strategy.
The council will work through its delivery groups to accelerate progress on the objectives, utilising existing structures where possible. The council will work with relevant bodies, including the Net Zero Council, the Hydrogen Delivery Council, and the Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage Council.
The primary focus will be on reducing carbon dioxide emissions, while taking into account wider sustainability issues, including non-CO2 impacts.
Glossary of terms
Commercial flight – all current and future forms of air services carrying people or goods for financial reward. This includes scheduled and unscheduled, manned and unmanned aviation services.
Jet Zero – collective term used across government and industry for our ambition to achieve net zero CO2 aviation by 2050.
Net zero – the government target that the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions should be equal to or less than the emissions the UK removed from the environment. This can be achieved by a combination of emission reduction and emission removal.
Net zero (carbon dioxide) emission flight – can be achieved by deploying zero emission technologies or by reducing emissions and balancing out any remaining carbon dioxide emissions produced by the aircraft by an equal share of negative emissions elsewhere. This could be achieved through zero emission aircraft, or through low emission aircraft in combination with SAF with at least 100% lifecycle emission savings or offsetting against greenhouse gas removals.
Non-CO2 impacts – impacts other than CO2 that also affect the climate and local air quality, in particular contrails and NOx emissions.
Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) – renewable or waste-derived aviation fuels that meet specific sustainability criteria and can be used in existing aircraft without significant engine modifications.
Zero emission aircraft – do not emit any tailpipe carbon emissions. This could be achieved through a range of electric- or hydrogen-based propulsion technologies. This definition does not account for carbon emissions during manufacturing or aircraft maintenance.
Zero emission flight (ZEF) – the ecosystem supporting zero emission aircraft.
Jet Zero Industry Charter
Industry members of the JZC have committed to leading by example, driving the delivery of Jet Zero and supporting the effective functioning of the JZC through committing to the Jet Zero industry charter and making additional pledges of their own.
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