The UK was among 23 nations to sign the International Aviation Climate Ambition Declaration at the Glasgow conference.

The declaration urges nations to collaborate “to advance ambitious actions to reduce aviation CO2 emissions at a rate consistent with efforts to limit the global average temperature increase to 1.5°C”.

Its ambition is similar to that agreed by Iata members in October.

Iata chief executive Willie Walsh said governments needed to provide help with the development of Sustainable Aviation Fuel if both goals were to be realised:

“We don’t have electric cars because drivers built them,” he said. “The energy transition for road transport is happening because governments created a policy framework that supported innovation. The market reacted by developing cost-efficient electrification solutions that appealed to consumers.

“The technology roadmap for sustainable aviation is more complex than for road transport. But the mechanism to deliver change is the same.

"Governments must lead with incentives. And the most important area for immediate concern is SAF.”