By Shane Bradley
As someone who votes Green and is a member of the party, while also working as a consultant in Brussels on aviation issues, I often feel I am living a contradiction. Aviation is often cast as incompatible with climate action, yet for Ireland, it is an essential lifeline. My work is not about defending business as usual but about ensuring the sector engages fully with regulation, invests in innovation, and accepts accountability for its climate impact. This is not an industry in denial, however. It is self-aware, under scrutiny, and working urgently to find solutions.
Every time I fly into Dublin and watch the coastline appear through the clouds, I am reminded of how much this matters. For an island nation, aviation is not a luxury. It is how we connect with the world, sustain our economy, and keep millions of Irish people abroad linked to their families at home. Pretending that aviation can be wished away is not serious politics. The real question is whether it can change quickly enough to remain compatible with climate goals.
The United Nations has declared 2026 to 2035 the Decade of Sustainable Transport. For aviation, one of the hardest sectors to decarbonise, it will be a decisive period that determines whether the aviation sector can continue to drive global connectivity while becoming climate-responsible.
Aviation today accounts for around 2.5 per cent of global human-made CO₂ emissions. That may sound modest, but as other sectors decarbonise faster, aviation’s share will rise. The sector has no time to lose.
The most immediate tool is sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). It can be blended with conventional jet fuel and used in today’s aircraft. Ireland’s first SAF Policy Roadmap, published this year, states that SAF will be pivotal in the short- to medium-term, until hydrogen and electric propulsion mature. At the European level, the RefuelEU Aviation regulation sets binding targets: 2 per cent SAF in 2025, 6 per cent by 2030 with 1.2 per cent synthetic, and 20 per cent by 2035 with 5 per cent synthetic. For Ireland, this means Dublin, Cork, Shannon and Knock airports will all fall under the scope of these rules, with demand projected to reach 318,000 tonnes of SAF by 2035.
The European picture, however, is more fragile than the targets suggest. Not a single synthetic fuel project has yet reached a final investment decision. To hit the 2030 target, at least twelve plants must be running, yet for now, progress is still on paper. This gap between ambition and reality has prompted Brussels to explore new tools, from new auction systems to EU funding programmes and revenues from carbon trading. Mandates alone will not deliver. Real investment mechanisms are needed to de-risk projects and build confidence in the market.
For Ireland, the challenge is sharper still. There is no domestic production, and in the near term, we will rely on imports. Over time, the roadmap highlights opportunities in co-processing waste oils and tallow, for example, by using by-products from the meat industry or collected cooking oils. Later, advanced biofuels from agricultural residues or even algae could play a role. The greatest opportunity lies further ahead in synthetic eSAF powered by offshore wind and green hydrogen. With a target of 37 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2050, Ireland has a unique chance to position itself as a producer.
Sustainable fuels are the bridge, but longer-term propulsion technologies must follow. Airbus is developing its ZEROe hydrogen aircraft, aiming for a first commercial model by 2035, and if successful, it would be the first step toward zero-emission flight on a larger scale. Electric and hybrid aircraft are being designed for short regional routes and could soon link Dublin to Manchester or Cork to London. Urban air mobility is also moving from concept to reality. Joby Aviation has already flown air taxi trials in Dubai, and in Dublin, Manna’s drone delivery service is operating today. These innovations will not transform long-haul aviation, but they are already reshaping how we think about airspace and short-range connectivity.
Technology alone will not be enough. There are also gains to be made in how we operate aircraft today. Artificial intelligence is being used to optimise flight paths, improve weather forecasting, and predict maintenance needs. Individually, these steps may not make headlines, but together they could cut emissions by up to ten per cent. The EU’s AI Act now sets standards for high-risk systems, while the European Union Aviation Safety Agency is developing its AI Roadmap 2.0 to ensure safety and trust.
Airports must also be part of the solution. Dublin, Cork and Shannon will need to evolve into energy platforms with SAF blending, hydrogen refuelling, and electrified ground operations. Across Europe, airports are already moving. Copenhagen Airport is leading a consortium to develop hydrogen-based synthetic fuel production; Amsterdam Schiphol is supplying airlines with blended SAF through a partnership with Neste, and Toulouse–Blagnac has installed a green hydrogen production and distribution station for airport buses. Ireland cannot afford to fall behind.
Aviation has a reputation problem, and not without reason. But for Ireland, it is also a lifeline. The real test is whether we can keep flying while cutting emissions. That is why this Decisive Decade matters. It’s about scaling fuels that exist today, preparing for hydrogen and electric aircraft, making airports part of the clean energy system, and having honest conversations without greenwashing or easy slogans.
I don’t have all the answers. But I know this: we cannot walk away from aviation, and aviation cannot walk away from the climate. The task is to hold both truths and make them work together. That is the circle we have to square.
