Airline chiefs call for climate co-operation, not regional charges

Airline chiefs meeting in Hong Kong this week have called on the world's governments to work closely with the aviation industry to tackle climate change, rather than imposing punitive charges on air travel.

Speaking yesterday at the Greener Skies conference – where leading aviation players gathered to discuss the sector's role in global climate talks – Air New Zealand chief executive Rob Fyfe branded the EU's plans to extend its emissions trading scheme to cover airlines as a "money-grabbing" tactic.

While he welcomed carbon pricing in principle, Fyfe said such schemes should be applied equally across all industries worldwide and be aimed at encouraging investment in emerging green technologies.

Similarly, in an op-ed piece published in yesterday's South China Morning Post, Cathay Pacific Airways chief executive Tony Tyler – who is chairman of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) board of governors – said that "the industry is calling for aviation emissions to be included under a fair, pragmatic and environmentally effective global policy solution that is enforceable and easy to implement".

He went on to argue: "Aviation is still being presented as public enemy number one by environmental pressure groups, particularly in Europe, but the truth is that the industry – which has played a key role in driving the development of the global economy – accounts for around two per cent of global man-made carbon dioxide emissions."

Tyler acknowledged that the sector's share in CO2 output is forecast to grow, but insisted that "aviation has shown itself to be willing to face up to its environmental impact and has made strikingly clear its desire to reduce that impact and work further to develop the sustainability of the industry".

The aviation sector has been calling for its inclusion in any new global climate-change deal agreed at the UN climate change talks in December in Copenhagen.

However, Fyfe criticised the current negotiations to agree a Copenhagen deal, describing them as a "bureaucratic circus" characterised by diplomatic foot-dragging. "I look forward to the day when we all stop protecting our respective butts in the endless policy debates and start focusing, globally, on concerted action," he said.

The IATA has committed to a 50 per cent reduction in overall emissions from 2050 compared to 2005 levels. It has also set an industry target of 1.5 per cent average annual improvement in fuel efficiency up to 2020, followed by a commitment to ensure total emissions from the sector peaks from 2020.

The industry body – which represents airlines, airports and air navigation service providers – yesterday challenged governments to formally adopt its emission targets. It added that governments had a key role to play in helping the aviation industry become greener by improving the efficiency of air traffic control regimes and supporting investment in cleaner aviation technologies.

"Governments must share the industry's vision for an even more efficient air transport sector and back it up with investments in better infrastructure, especially in air traffic management projects," said IATA chief executive Giovanni Bisignani.