The governments of New Zealand and Singapore have signed a bilateral arrangement for cooperation in sustainable aviation, “as both countries move towards low carbon economies”.
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern visited Singapore on her first overseas trip since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, and said that the arrangement “clearly indicates our commitment towards jointly tackling climate change”.
The agreement covers fours areas for cooperation:
- Policy and regulation: Including information exchange on policy positions and regulations that supports sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) uptake and the electrification of fleets and airport infrastructure.
- Industry development: Including the coordination of the R&D, testing and trailing of sustainable aviation fuels (including SAF and Hydrogen), to guide the development of the sustainable aviation ecosystem.
- Future infrastructure planning and provisions: Including information sharing on approaches to decarbonise airport infrastructure and optimise aircrafts and air traffic routes, and a study on the commercial viabilities of developing “green lanes” between New Zealand and Singapore to encourage the consumer uptake of SAF-run flights.
- Workforce transformation: Including the creation of new jobs in sustainable aviation, and information exchange on redesigning work processes and supporting professional growth in the aviation sector.
The Sustainable Aviation Arrangement follows the signing of the Hydrogen Arrangement between the two countries last year, which “lays the foundation for information exchange on the use and deployment of low-carbon hydrogen across energy and transport sectors”.
Announcing the news Arden said:
“We cannot afford to return to business as usual, because that is unsustainable. We need to work with trusted partners like Singapore to ensure that environmental sustainability is a core part of our economic strategy.
“The commitments made today are a concrete demonstration of the government and private sector joining together to build a more sustainable future.”
