The global business aviation community is watching closely as the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) hashes out the implementation of the upcoming aviation emissions scheme, EBAA CEO Fabio Gamba told EBACE attendees at the Opening General Session this week.

“2016 will be the year of an ICAO scheme,” Gamba told EBACE attendees this week. “We don’t know how, we don’t know when and we don’t know who yet, but we do know this is coming up and we need to prepare ourselves in the best possible way.”

He added that under the leadership of International Business Aviation Council (IBAC), the business aviation community “will work hard to put forward solutions that are equitable, proportionate and fair.”

NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen echoed those sentiments, calling emissions one of the most significant issues of 2016. He said the associations, together, are working with manufacturers, operators and regulators to ensure policy leaders “understand the unique aspects of business aviation.”

In February ICAO’s Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP) formally recommended the standard, paving the way for adoption by the full ICAO Governing Council and General Assembly later this year. That was followed by a “High Level” meeting held this month to begin discussions on market-based measures (MBM) to implement the standard.

At a Global Sustainable Aviation Forum held on the eve of the High Level meeting in Montreal, IBAC director general Kurt Edwards stressed that, as the states work to establish a global MBM, “the industry’s demonstrated willingness to contribute, as well as its roles as generator and facilitator of global economic activity, must be kept in the forefront of ICAO’s efforts. The business aviation community is doing its part to contribute.”

He added that the community would be willing to participate in a global MBM initiative “that is administratively simple, recognizes the diverse range of international aircraft operators, and is fair.”

An agreement was not reached for specific MBMs at the High Level meeting, but many of the attendees backed a global approach to implementing such measures, NBAA COO Steve Brown told AIN. Working groups will continue to meet over the summer to hash out details in time for a fall meeting, Brown said.