The European Parliament voted this week 640 to 30 in favour of requiring all airlines flying into community airports to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 3% in 2012 and by 5% from 2013.
The vote was the final step to turn into law proposals to wrap international aviation into its existing emissions trading scheme, forcing all carriers to participate - including, controversially, non-European carriers.
The scheme sets an initial 97% cap based on an historical level of emissions and forces airlines to buy 15% of their carbon credits and any additional credits required for emitting carbon dioxide above that limit.
Responding to the vote, Sylviane Lust, director general of leisure carrier group IACA, says that the policy would be crippling at a time of high fuel prices and weakening demand, and would divert any potential investment in new fleet and technology while providing no proven environmental benefits: "We have no other option but to urge policymakers to reconsider the design for the inclusion of aviation in the context of the review of the main ETS directive."
Global airline body the International Air Transport Association has repeated its warning over Europe's unilateral approach while the European Regions Airline Association estimates the cost of the scheme to European airlines at euros 90 billion ($141 billion) over the first 10 years.
Source: Flight International
