Montréal, 23 September 2026
ICCAIA Contributes to ICAO Council Briefing on Halon Replacement
On Monday, 21 September, ICCAIA technical specialists recently contributed to an Informal Briefing to the ICAO Council on the important issue of Halon replacement for cargo compartment firefighting, alongside the ICAO Secretariat and the leadership of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Fire Suppression Technical Options Committee (FSTOC).
Cargo compartment firefighting on civil aircraft is subject to specific and stringent regulatory requirements. These include extensive testing to demonstrate the suppression of different types of fires, as well as requirements governing how long a fire must remain suppressed. Fire suppression agents must also meet requirements relating to toxicity.
In addition, aviation presents a particular challenge because fire suppression systems must be carried on every flight. System weight is therefore an important consideration, as additional weight can result in increased fuel burn and associated CO₂ emissions.
Halon 1301 is currently the only fire suppression agent known to meet the applicable requirements for cargo compartment firefighting while also meeting the relevant toxicity and weight criteria. However, Halon has been identified as an ozone-depleting substance under the Montreal Protocol, and new production is no longer permitted. As a result, the aviation industry must rely on existing Halon stocks.
The aviation industry has been working for more than two decades to identify and develop suitable alternatives. Despite these efforts, no alternative agent has yet been confirmed to meet all of the applicable fire suppression, toxicity and weight requirements.
The Urgency of Halon Replacement
Following the ICAO Council Informal Briefing, ICCAIA facilitated a number of additional meetings with stakeholders to explore the technical aspects of Halon replacement in greater depth.
With ICAO responsible for aviation safety and UNEP responsible for environmental and ozone-related matters, these discussions provided a valuable opportunity to better understand the urgency of the timeline for replacement and the need to balance aviation safety requirements with environmental objectives.
According to Section 3.6 of the UNEP Fire Suppression Technical Options Committee (FSTOC) report, current Halon stocks are projected to be exhausted around 2035, with an estimated uncertainty of approximately ±4 years. This projection underscores the urgency of identifying and validating a safe and viable replacement solution.
In the meantime, it is important that best practices are followed when testing fire suppression systems in order to preserve existing Halon 1301 stocks for as long as possible. It is also important to preserve stocks from other sectors that are transitioning to alternative systems for potential use in civil aviation, given that no alternative has yet been confirmed to meet all of the necessary requirements.
Read Section 3.6 of the UNEP FSTOC report
Continued Industry Collaboration
The ICAO Council briefing and subsequent stakeholder discussions highlighted the importance of continued cooperation among regulators, industry, environmental experts, pilots and other stakeholders as work continues to identify a suitable long-term solution.
ICCAIA has previously outlined the challenges associated with Halon replacement in greater detail in its Working Paper submitted to the 42nd Session of the ICAO Assembly:
The pilot community, represented by the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA), has also contributed to the discussion through its white paper on the continued availability of Halon for aviation fire protection:
ICCAIA thanks ICAO and UNEP, as well as the individual stakeholders who participated in discussions throughout the week, for the fruitful exchanges. ICCAIA looks forward to continuing these discussions over the coming months and to supporting efforts to identify a safe, secure, effective and environmentally sustainable long-term solution for cargo compartment fire suppression.
Watch the ICAO Council Informal Briefing here.
