At the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Innovation Fair, held on the eve of the 42nd ICAO Assembly in Montréal, Canada, ICAO and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) launched the the Finvest@ETAF portal, which will support ICAO’s Finvest Hub in facilitating investment in sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and low-carbon aviation projects.
The launch of Finvest@ETAF comes as countries prepare to raise climate ambition ahead of COP30 in Belém, Brazil, where sustainable fuels are expected to feature prominently on the agenda.
Support SAF investments
The portal will support ICAO’s Finvest Hub, which is addressing the most critical pathway for the decarbonization of air transport by facilitating investment in SAF and low-carbon aviation projects.
ICAO will cooperate with several financing platforms to operationalize the Finvest Hub, with IRENA being the first.
This launch marks a significant milestone in aviation’s net-zero carbon emission journey with the establishment of our Finvest hub. Our agreement with IRENA focuses on a partnership arrangement to facilitate financial resources through the ICAO Finvest@ETAF portal, for scaling up SAF and other cleaner energy solutions. It is a first-of-its-kind gateway between project developers and financiers, and this matchmaking function, using ICAO’s sustainability criteria, helps de-risk investments while ensuring environmental integrity, said Juan Carlos Salazar, Secretary General of ICAO.
Finvest@ETAF will serve as a single entry point for project developers seeking investment, linking proposals with a global network of public and private financiers.
Project submissions will undergo joint screening by IRENA and ICAO experts, combining technical due diligence with investment readiness assessments, before being presented to financing and de-risking partners under the Energy Transition Accelerator Financing (ETAF) Platform.
While demand reduction and energy efficiency improvements will play a critical role in aligning the sector with IRENA’s 1.5 °C scenario, SAFs could account for 40–65 percent of the sector’s emission cuts by 2050, according to ICAO.
Sustainable aviation fuels will shape the future of flight, but the sector has yet to take off at the scale needed. By leveraging IRENA’s financing network and ICAO’s technical expertise, ‘Finvest@ETAF’ will support SAF projects across their entire lifecycle, bringing visibility to bankable projects while helping promising ideas develop into fully fledged proposals ready to attract investment and move into deployment, said Francesco La Camera, Director General at IRENA.
ICAO Innovation Fair centerpiece
The portal’s launch was a centerpiece of the ICAO Innovation Fair, where Salvatore Sciacchitano, President of the ICAO Council, emphasized that “Innovation is providing the foundation for continued progress and sustainable development for future generations.”
Project developers worldwide are invited to submit proposals to the portal, ensuring a strong pipeline of initiatives from every region.
The success of Finvest@ETAF will depend on a strong pipeline of projects from every region.
Working together through Finvest@ETAF, we can achieve our vision of offering green and vibrant air transport to all, added Juan Carlos Salazar.
The Innovation Fair provided a global platform to develop policy ideas and foster partnerships that will underpin progress towards ICAO’s Long-Term Strategic Plan, which envisions zero fatalities and net-zero carbon emission air transport for everyone, everywhere by mid-century.
The event featured dynamic panels and hands-on demonstrations covering advanced air mobility, digitalization, automation, and sustainable fuels.
The Fair also highlighted the essential role of youth and diversity in driving aviation’s transformation, with the ICAO Innovation Competition showcasing bold, youth-led solutions.
