Asian airlines call for ETS rethink
Contributors are not employed, compensated or governed by TD, opinions and statements are from the contributor directly
The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) has added its voice to the chorus of disapproval directed at the EU’s proposed Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). In a statement released today the Malaysia-based body, which represents the majority of major airlines in the Asia Pacific region, said the scheme was being brought in “without the consent of foreign governments” and accused the EU of threatening airlines with “draconian penalties” for any non-compliance.
The Director-General of the AAPA, Andrew Herdman, said; “Foreign governments have long held the view that the inclusion of foreign airlines in the EU ETS, without the consent of foreign governments, breaches international treaty obligations and bilateral agreements governing international aviation. More than 140 non-EU governments stated their unequivocal opposition to the unilateral imposition of the EU ETS at the two most recent triennial Assembly meetings of the United Nations International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in 2007 and 2010.”
The EU has said it would consider partial exemptions from the ETS if other governments introduce equivalent measures acceptable to the EU, but Herdman said that such vague rules would only complicate matter further. “The whole notion of partial exemptions is practically unworkable, given such exemptions would only exclude inbound flights to the EU from the relevant countries, but would have to be applied equally to all carriers operating on such routes,” he said.
Herdman concluded; “The EU needs to face up to the fact that it has over-reached its authority, and must now fundamentally rethink its position. Given the need for international consensus, combative legal challenges and threats of a tit-for-tat trade war are not the right way to resolve these matters. The EU needs to urgently re-engage with the international community to find constructive solutions and avoid further escalation of the dispute. Everyone acknowledges that ICAO is the appropriate UN forum for all governments to work together towards an effective multilateral agreement on a global approach to aviation and the environment.”
Comments are closed.