Jet fuel crisis is the ‘new normal’: manifesto to stop aviation growth

Over 95 groups, including Extinction Rebellion, Friends of the Earth and Scientist Rebellion, have launched a new manifesto. It’s demanding a sharp reduction of aviation to halt climate collapse.

The manifesto, A Red Line for Airports, signed by groups from 25 countries worldwide and coordinated by the Stay Grounded network, calls out the aviation sector as a core part of the current “fossil-fuelled” system and a direct obstacle to a decent future.

It proposes ten measures to stop airport expansion and reduce air traffic, leading a transformation “grounded in justice and planetary boundaries.”

Aviation is a fragile industry

For Stay Grounded, the current jet fuel crisis – driven by geopolitical tensions, supply chain disruptions and volatile fossil fuel markets – exposes the fragility of the aviation sector.

As airlines face rising costs and uncertainty, the situation highlights how dependent aviation remains on finite fossil fuels. The network believes this reflects a broader pattern of a sector highly vulnerable to global shocks and long-term instability.

The manifesto includes ten “safety measures” such as stopping all new airport expansion projects, establishing a ban on private jets and night flights, setting strict carbon caps on airports included in national emission budgets and guaranteeing a just transition for workers in the sector.

The groups state that the only effective solution is to reduce flights. It rejects measures such as offsets or so-called ‘sustainable’ aviation fuels as greenwashing designed to justify continued growth.

Inês Teles, spokesperson from the Stay Grounded Network, says:

The jet fuel crisis shows what the ‘new normal’ looks like. In a world shaped by war, rising extremism and accelerating climate breakdown, dependence on fossil fuels means permanent instability.

Aviation makes this clear: it is one of the fastest-growing sources of emissions, and one of the most vulnerable sectors to global shocks. The solution is simple: reduce flights and invest in grounded alternatives.

Peter Kalmus, climate scientist and subscriber to the manifesto, says:

The alarm has been sounding for decades, but we are still locked into a system addicted to fossil fuels. The consequences are clear: war, famine, inequality, instability and worsening climate disasters year after year.

Aviation is one of the most unnecessary and unequal sectors: 80% of the world population has never flown, while 1% is responsible for 50% of emissions. It’s past time we cut it – we can do so by design, or be forced to by disaster.

The Stay Grounded network is inviting organisations and individuals worldwide to sign and endorse the manifesto. This will boost the growing international coalition calling for a halt to airport expansion and a reduction in air traffic. The manifesto is open for signatures from civil society groups, grassroots organisations and members of the public.

Featured image via the Canary