Sustainability budgets are at risk: TIACA’s Bakker
One year into her term, TIACA Chairperson Roos Bakker sets out her agenda on crisis response, talent, e-commerce and security, and the case for green spend.
Sustainability budgets across air cargo are at risk as fuel costs climb and outside pressure eases, according to Roos Bakker, Chairperson of The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA). She said the industry should defend that spending by treating it as a way to protect margins.
“Yes, I think budgets are at risk, and I’d rather say that openly than pretend otherwise,” Bakker told The STAT Trade Times at the TIACA Air Cargo Forum in Miami. “When fuel costs spike and external pressure eases, sustainability is often the first line to be questioned.”
Bakker took over as Chairperson at the close of ACF 2025 in Abu Dhabi after two years as vice chair. Her comments follow TIACA’s 2026 Sustainability Insights report, which found that 95 percent of members have CEO backing for sustainability. The same report showed external pressure at its lowest since 2021 and a wide regional gap: 44 percent of Americas-based organisations say sustainability is part of their culture, compared with 87 percent in Asia.
Bakker said high fuel prices also strengthen the argument for green investment. “With fuel costs this high, fuel efficiency is no longer only an environmental topic, it’s a cost and resilience topic,” she said. Measures such as route optimisation, electrified ground handling and better load factors “pay back faster when fuel is expensive.”
This story was originally published by STAT Times. Read the full story at STAT Times →
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