Europe's airlines are finding a common voice when it comes to environmental concerns as the debate over emissions trading schemes versus taxes heats up.
With the realisation that doing nothing is not an option, they have come together in the Committee for Environmentally Friendly Aviation (CEFA) in a bid to "promote the positive environmental performance of airlines and secure conditions for future growth". The group develops common positions on environment-related issues and when possible puts forward a CEFA position to decision-making bodies.
Faced with the prospect of a Europe-wide emissions trading scheme (ETS), carriers are keen to ensure the impact of such a scheme on their business is not underestimated. Regulators, including the European Commission (EC), argue the impact of an ETS on airlines will be minimal, as the cost of CO2 allowances will be passed on to passengers.
One CEFA member, IACA, representing charter carriers, is anxious this impact is not minimised from a price sensitivity standpoint. "The EC must talk to us and not to consultants. We must raise the issue above the threshold of a technical argument," says IACA director general Sylviane Lust, adding the design of any ETS must be "fair, transparent, non-discriminatory and workable for all airlines, including smaller entities".
Meanwhile, UK academics are wading into the fray as a new report from Oxford University's Environmental Change Institute warns the UK government it will have to curb the rate of aviation growth if it is to meet its climate change targets. It points to a contradiction in UK policies supporting aviation growth and its aims to tackle climate change.
Responding to the report, easyJet says: "It is clear airlines still have their part to play in safeguarding the environment, but it is important to put this in to perspective - the European Commission's own calculations confirm that aviation accounts for just 3% of CO2 emissions in Europe."
Source: Airline Business
