(Decisions adopted by MOP37 are based on the advance English version of document
UNEP/OzL.Pro.37/9/Add.1 and may change in the final version)

Decision XXXVII/4: Halon 1301 and its continuing use in the aviation industry, and management of other controlled substances used for fire suppression

The Thirty-Seventh Meeting of the Parties,

Taking note of the 2025 progress report of the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel[1] and its update on the potential long-term use of halon 1301 in the aviation sector,

Noting that some controlled substances, including halons and HCFC-123, continue to have a meaningful role in fire suppression,

Noting with concern that the long-term supply of halon 1301 is uncertain because of its continuing use in key sectors, difficulties in transboundary shipment of recovered, recycled or reclaimed halon 1301, the deliberate destruction of halon 1301 for carbon credits and the switch to halon 1301 by some users of halon 2402,

Taking note of resolution A42-11[2] of the Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization, in which the Assembly, among other things, directed its Council to develop a proposal for a sustainable, effective revised cut-off date for halon replacements for new aircraft type certificate applications, considering the assessment of availability of global halon reserves, and to base the proposal on comprehensive data, including halon availability, and progress on alternative solution development and take account of safety considerations,

Noting that, in the resolution, the Assembly encouraged States, with the assistance of the International Civil Aviation Organization, to liaise with the Ozone Secretariat, the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel and its Fire Suppression Technical Options Committee, to assess global halon reserves and support the sustainable management of existing halon banks, and encouraged the International Civil Aviation Organization to continue collaboration with the Ozone Secretariat through the Fire Suppression Technical Options Committee on the topic of halon alternatives for civil aviation,

Noting also that considerable work has been carried out on evaluating alternatives to halon 1301 in cargo compartments for new aircraft designs, and that at least one alternative candidate might soon be available,

Recalling the ongoing communication between the International Civil Aviation Organization and the Fire Suppression Technical Options Committee of the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel,

Recalling also the long-standing decisions XXI/7, XXII/11, XXVI/7, XXIX/8 and XXX/7 and, most recently, decision XXXVI/7 on measures to support the sustainable management of recovered, recycled or reclaimed halons,

Decides:

  1. To request that the Ozone Secretariat liaise with the secretariat of the International Civil Aviation Organization on the matter of fire suppression agents controlled under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer and facilitate the exchange of information between the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel, through its Fire Suppression Technical Options Committee, and the relevant International Civil Aviation Organization technical committees and working groups in order to allow the Panel to:
    1. Better assess the future use of and need for halons in civil aviation, making use of, among other things, available data on the locations of the maintenance, repair and overhaul operations authorized to service halons, data on future fleet evolution and estimates regarding aircraft in operation with different types of halon fire protection systems;
    2. Submit a report on halon availability and the global distribution of halon banks, based on the above-mentioned activities, to the parties in advance of the forty-eighth meeting of the Open-‑ended Working Group of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol;
  2. To encourage parties to liaise, through their national ozone officers, with their national civil aviation authorities to gain an understanding of how halons and their alternatives are being used and supplied to air carriers to meet ongoing civil aviation needs;
  3. To also encourage parties to reassess any national import and export restrictions other than licensing or quota requirements with a view to facilitating the import and export of recovered, recycled or reclaimed halons and other controlled substances used for fire suppression,[3] with the aim of facilitating the meeting of remaining needs of the parties, taking into account the requirements of the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, where applicable;
  4. To invite parties to submit, on a voluntary basis, to the Ozone Secretariat, by 31 March 2026, available information regarding the development of alternatives suitable for use as substitutes in fire suppression, and to request the Ozone Secretariat to forward the information received to the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel for its consideration and for inclusion, at the latest, in its 2027 progress report.

 

[1] United Nations Environment Programme, Report of the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel: Volume 1 – Progress Report, May 2025 (Nairobi, 2025).

[2] Available at https://www.icao.int/sites/default/files/Meetings/a42/Documents/Resolutions/a42_res_prov_en.pdf (provisional edition).

[3] Covered in the 2022 assessment report of the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel.