The head of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) is pushing for a realistic and flexible approach to net-zero aviation goals. 

Speaking at IATA's annual meeting in Dubai, the influential aviation trade association's director general Willie Walsh called on regulators to "have the courage to stop and change tack fast" when it's clear that green aviation policies aren't working. Walsh also said that achieving a goal of net-zero emissions by 2025 was "existential, not optional." 

“Measures must have provisions for review and abandonment if they are not producing the intended results,” he said. “Some good ideas will certainly translate into good policies, and many may not."

Walsh went on to voice his support for global standards to cut carbon emissions, as well as more investments in sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs). SAFs are often sourced from fats and oils from food and yard wastes, and have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 94%, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

That said, Walsh was critical of SAF mandates imposed by countries like France, where he says fuel suppliers have been required to buy SAF in quantities that don't exist. 

“We witnessed this in France where fuel suppliers are happy to accept penalties for their failure to supply the SAF mandate," he said. "They simply exercise their monopoly power and pass those costs on [to] airlines."