At an event hosted by the China Air Transport Association, 21 airlines and air transport associations expressed strong opposition to the EU plan to force countries into its Emissions Trading Scheme ( ETS ).
Airlines, including eight mainland China carriers and 13 foreign airlines mainly from the US, said that it was unfair that they are required to buy permits for emissions released over the whole flight when only a small percentage of which may actually be in EU airspace. The Air Transport Association of America provided some figures at the event: 29% of the emissions take place in US airspace, 37% in Canadian airspace, and 25% over the high seas.
Zhang Baojian, regional vice-president of International Air Transport Association North Asia, called the EU ETS tax “illegal”.
Delegates claim that although the ETS plan is part of the EU’s climate policy, it is not helping emission reductions at all, and could be counterproductive. Mark Watson, head of environmental affairs with Cathay Pacific , said the EU ETS penalizes non-stop long-haul flights, which are more fuel-efficient than flights with intermediate stops.