The revised CO2 Act came into force on 1 January 2025. It contains aviation reforms such as a new requirement to blend sustainable aviation fuels and a new aviation and climate funding programme. The Federal Council has specified these in the revised CO2 Ordinance. The aviation and climate funding programme will increase Switzerland’s support for measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from aviation. One example of such measures is the production of renewable aviation fuels.
Funding for measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in aviation
Comprehensive investment in innovative technologies will be required in the coming years to ensure greenhouse gas emissions from aviation can be reduced. The revised CO2 Act includes funding measures to help achieve this aim. In addition to the existing funding from the mineral oil tax (currently known as special financing for air transport), Parliament has approved new funds from other sources to set up and implement the measures. Earmarked levies will be used for this purpose – specifically, proceeds from penalties paid due to violation of the blending requirement (in accordance with Art. 28g para. 8 CO2 Act) and from auctions of aircraft emission allowances under the Swiss emissions trading system (in accordance with Art. 37a CO2 Act). Under Article 103b of the Aviation Act of 21 December 1948 (AviA), earmarked funds from the special financing for air transport and general federal funding can also be used.
Funding under Article 103b AviA focuses on renewable synthetic aviation fuels, which, according to the Federal Council report on carbon-neutral aviation by 2050, offers the greatest long-term potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in aviation. However, other measures to reduce the aviation sector’s impact on the climate can also apply for this form of funding. The plan is to combine implementation of these three funding provisions within the newly created aviation and climate funding programme. All processes under the previous special financing for air transport that promote environmental measures and are not related to reducing greenhouse gas emissions will remain unchanged.
The FOCA strives to make the application process for the Aviation and Climate funding programme as efficient as possible. The first step is a call for expressions of interest and preliminary applications (see documents). This call provides two options for submissions: First, preliminary applications should be submitted in the case of projects for which a concrete funding application is expected to be submitted in the coming months. A positive assessment of these preliminary applications is the prerequisite for submitting the actual funding applications in 2025. Second, in the case of projects that are still at an early stage, it is possible to submit project ideas for the purpose of receiving early feedback from the FOCA on funding eligibility.
Further Information
Last modification 08.07.2025
Contact
Federal Office of Civil Aviation FOCA
Division Aviation Policy and Strategy
Section Environmental Affairs
3003 Bern