SINGAPORE, 14 August 2025: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) will hold the third World Sustainability Symposium (WSS) in Hong Kong SAR, China, from 21 to 22 October 2025, hosted by Cathay Pacific.
The event will bring together leaders from aviation, energy, finance, and policy to advance the industry’s commitment to achieving net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050.
“As the IATA World Sustainability Symposium lands in Asia for the first time, we are honoured that Hong Kong has been selected as the location and Cathay Pacific as the host airline. Collaboration across multiple sectors and regulators is essential for aviation to achieve its decarbonisation goals, and gatherings like this provide a valuable platform for leading voices to come together to drive meaningful change. Such cooperation is crucial as the industry works to develop the ecosystem of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), with Hong Kong having the potential to become one of Asia’s major centres for SAF in the future,” said Cathay Group’s CEO Ronald Lam.
“We are at a crucial point. Airlines are fully committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. But we have not seen sufficient, timely action by policymakers, aerospace manufacturers, oil companies, or fuel producers to support this commitment. This event is an essential rallying call for all those who have a stake in air transport’s future to overcome any challenges in the way of accelerating the pace of this crucial energy transition,” said IATA’s Director General Willie Walsh.
The symposium follows the 42nd ICAO Assembly, at which the industry will advocate for stronger government policies to support aviation’s energy transition to SAF and the integrity of CORSIA. And it precedes COP30, which is focusing on turning pledges into actions. The symposium will bridge these two global milestones with in-depth explorations of pragmatic measures to accelerate aviation’s decarbonisation by:
Removing hurdles standing in the way of expanding SAF production;
Attracting financing for the USD4.7 trillion cost of decarbonisation;
Integrating emerging technology developments by existing players and start-ups.
Increasing collaboration across the value chain
The symposium will open with a welcome speech from Ronald Lam, CEO of the Cathay Group and a keynote address from Mable Chan, Secretary of Transport & Logistics for the Hong Kong SAR Government. These will be followed by a leadership conversation between Patrick Healy, Chair of the Cathay Group, and Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General, to candidly review progress on decarbonisation.
The speaker lineup of global experts for the remainder of the symposium includes:
Dr Jun Ma, Chairman & President, Hong Kong Green Finance Association;
Dr Fabiano Piccino, Air Logistics Global Head of Sustainability, Kuehne+Nagel;
Jouk Boeye, Managing Director Corporate Sourcing, Supply Chain Sustainability & Net Zero Operations, HSBC;
Christopher Au, Director Asia Pacific Climate Risk Centre, WTW;
Ayesha Choudhury, Chief Commercial Officer, Infinium;
About WSS
The World Sustainability Symposium is IATA’s flagship event on aviation sustainability. It convenes over 500 participants from across the globe, including airlines, fuel producers, investors, policymakers, and innovators. Cathay Pacific hosts this year’s edition.
For more information, view the program and the event page
