CAEP Working Group 2

Group Description

Working Group 2 (WG2) addresses the environmental aspects of airports and aircraft operations near airports. It develops guidance and good practices to help States and stakeholders reduce noise and emissions, mitigate climate impacts, and strengthen the resilience of aviation through climate adaptation.

WG2 Current Work Programme (2025–2028)

Main Focus Areas:

Climate Adaptation

Updating Guidance on Climate Change Risk Assessment and Adaptation Measures for International Aviation
Developing Regional Climate Adaptation Fact Sheets
Estimating the costs of climate impacts on aviation

Air Navigation & Traffic Management

Updating Continuous Descent Operations (CDO) and Continuous Climb Operations (CCO) manuals
Assessing operational mitigation opportunities for contrails and other non-CO₂ climate effects

Operational Measures

Developing informational supplement to support ICAO Balanced Approach implementation
Assessing operational improvements’ contributions to the Long-Term Global Aspirational Goal (LTAG)

Airports

Promoting community engagement
Expanding the Eco-Airport Toolkit e-Collection
Addressing PFAS contamination at airports

Other Topics

Exploring sustainable plastics management in aviation

Key Deliverables from CAEP/13 Cycle (2022-2025)

WG2 developed guidance and good practice materials on various topics; links to completed deliverables are provided below

Report on Emerging Trends in Aviation: Community Engagement Practices and Considerations	This report provides an overview of community engagement considerations, including key trends, insights, challenges, and opportunities across noise versus emissions, new aircraft technologies, and post-pandemic dynamics.
Report on Good Practices of Noise Monitoring Systems	This report explains how Airport Noise Monitoring Systems (NMS), together with the ICAO Balanced Approach and stakeholder coordination, can be used effectively to manage noise impacts at airports.
Report on Operational Opportunities to Reduce Climate Effects of Contrails and Other Non-CO₂ Emissions	This report explores operational measures to mitigate non-CO₂ climate effects from aviation and, as a first step, presents a synthesis of existing literature and research.
Report on Environmental Interdependencies in Various Operating Scenarios	This report analyses eight operating scenarios, highlighting trade-offs between noise, emissions, and efficiency, and providing insights into operational choices and their environmental interdependencies.
Eco-Airport Toolkit collection publications	Eco-Airport Toolkit e-collection provide practical and ready-to-use information to support the development of airport projects.
2024 ICAO Climate Adaptation Synthesis Report	The 2024 ICAO Climate Adaptation Synthesis Report provides an updated overview of projected climate impacts on aviation and outlines potential adaptation and resilience measures for States and stakeholders.

Main Publications

Doc 9184 - Airport Planning Manual, Part 2, Land Use and Environmental Management
Eco-Airport e-collection publications
Doc 9968 - Report on Environmental Management Systems (EMS) Practices in the Aviation Sector
Circular 351 - Community Engagement for Aviation Environmental Management
Doc 10013 - Operational Opportunities to Reduce Fuel Burn and Emissions (ex Cir. 303)
Doc 9889 - Airport Air Quality Manual
Doc 10021 -Independent Expert Report on Medium and Long Term Operational Fuel Burn Goals
Doc 9829 - Guidance on the Balanced Approach to Aircraft Noise Management (Second Edition, 2008)
Doc 10031 - Environmental Assessment Guidance for proposed Air Traffic Management Operational Changes
Doc 9750 - Global Air Navigation Plan for CNS/ATM Systems
Doc 8168 - Procedures for Air Navigation Services - Aircraft Operations (OPS)
Doc 9931 - Continuous Descent Operations (CDO) Manual
Circular 317 - Effects of PANS-OPS Noise Abatement Departure Procedures on Noise and Gaseous Emissions
Doc 9911 - Recommended Method of Computing Noise Contours around Airports (ex Cir. 205)
Doc 9888 - Noise Abatement Procedures: Review of Research, Development and Implementation Project - Discussion of Survey Results (2010)
Doc 10177 - Operational Opportunities to Reduce Aircraft Noise