India against EU’s airline emission tax
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India along with 26 other countries including US and China, has protested against European Union (EU) plan to tax airlines on the basis of carbon emissions beginning next year, while some airlines have threatened to stop flights to Europe in protest. A meeting of International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Council and non-EU member states on inclusion of aviation in EU-Emission Trading Scheme (ETS), hosted vy India, expressed concern over the ETS measures, which it said “were inconsistent with international legal regimes.”
“A draft demarche to be sent to the EU bilaterally by the nations was also discussed in which it was highlighted that the EU’s approach under the directive is unacceptable,” said a statement issued by the aviation ministry. Senior ministry officials told the Hindustan Times that each of participating countries would be issuing demarches to EU on the issue.
India had officially protested to EU on this issue a few months back as the move could affect the local carriers flying to Europe. They would need to pay tax for landing in and taking off from European airports based on the type of aircraft, which in turn could lead to increase in airfares by as much as US$50-250 (INR2,437-12,368).
Under the ETS, airlines using EU airspace will have to pay a fee for carbon emissions that exceed a set cap. The meeting, chaired by Aviation Secretary Nasim Zaidi, noted that the ETS measures violated the Chicago Convention governing international aviation as also provisions of the WTO. A joint declaration adopted opposed EU’s plan to include all flights by non-EU carriers to/from an airport in the territory of an EU member state in its emissions trading system.
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