The International Air Transport Association (IATA), along with the undersigned signatories, urge all governments to take immediate and decisive action to facilitate the issuance of Host Country Letters of Authorization (LoAs), according to the provisions of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, to enable the release of CORSIA Eligible Emissions Units (CORSIA EEUs). The timely issuance of these LoAs is critical to ensure the environmental integrity of CORSIA and to create a liquid and well-functioning market for CORSIA EEUs.

A Growing Gap Between CORSIA Demand and Supply
IATA projects demand for CORSIA EEUs during its first phase (2024–2026) to range between 146 and 236 million metric tonnes. To date, only one issuance of CORSIA EEUs has occurred, from a project based in Guyana under the ART TREES program in February 2024. The successful experience of Guyana demonstrates the feasibility of the scheme. The signatories of this Statement firmly believe the prompt issuance of LoAs from more countries is essential to facilitate the robust implementation of CORSIA.

ICAO-Approved Programs Are Ready to Supply CORSIA EEUs
To be approved by ICAO’s Technical Advisory Body, program registries must possess robust infrastructure, including independent validation and sustainability verification mechanisms, coupled with the capacity to tag the units and to record national attestations for CORSIA compliance. More broadly, carbon market infrastructure has also evolved and can support the operation of CORSIA’s framework.

The remaining necessary action to unlock the supply of CORSIA EEUs is the political decision – underpinned by the act of host country authorization – to enter their credits as eligible in the program registries. With the mandatory phase of CORSIA set to begin in 2027 and projected to cover more than 85% of international aviation emissions, host countries’ support is more critical than ever.

LoAs Are Essential for CORSIA Compliance and Its Environmental Integrity
The signatories welcome ICAO’s recent State Letter dated 25 July 2025, which explicitly urges host countries to expedite the issuance of LoAs.

• For airlines, cancellation of CORSIA EEUs is a legal obligation, not a matter of preference. LoAs are essential to ensure the environmental integrity of the CORSIA claims by preventing any double claiming of emissions reductions.
• For programs, the absence of LoAs severely hampers the ability to generate CORSIA-compliant units.
• For project developers and host countries, the lack of LoAs considerably limits access to climate financing.

Ensuring Integrity, Legal Certainty, and Inclusive Participation
A Letter of Authorization (LoA) serves as a key step to prevent double-counting of emissions reductions between airlines and host countries by requiring the host country to perform a “corresponding adjustment”. Once issued, LoAs must be enduring. Retroactive revocations or modifications undermine investor confidence and erode trust in the system. States are therefore encouraged to adopt transparent and predictable authorization procedures.

In addition, States shall apply and report the corresponding adjustments for the authorized credits, in accordance with the requirements under the Paris Agreement.

Our Commitment
IATA and the signatories to this statement reaffirm our commitment to supporting States in this effort. We will:

• Provide clear technical guidance on the standardization of LoAs;
• Build up robust program registries to record and track authorizations in a credible way;
• Offer implementation assistance and support to designated national focal points and the relevant national authorities in streamlining the authorization process and issuing LoAs;
• Collaborate to assure the quality of credits, maintain alignment with ICAO eligibility criteria for CORSIA EEUs, enhance due diligence, and ensure transparent offset credit reporting.

We recognize CORSIA as a critical measure for achieving the net zero carbon emissions target in international aviation. We, as stakeholders across the carbon market value chain, are committed to transparency, collaboration, and delivering the confidence that both the aviation sector and the public expect from a credible compliance mechanism on a global scale.

Signatories:

International Air Transport Association
African Airlines Association
Air Transport Action Group
Airlines Association of Southern Africa
Airlines for America
Airlines for Europe
Airlines International Representation in Europe
Arab Air Carriers’ Organization
Association of Asia Pacific Airlines
European Regions Airline Association
Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association
National Airlines Council of Canada

Carbon Market Stakeholder
International Emissions Trading Association

Program
Global Carbon Council

Project developers
Burnstoves
Iceberg
Koko Networks
Korea Carbon Management
Sistema.bio
UpEnergy
Valor Carbon
WeAct