Walsh criticises EU emissions trading plans
19.07.08
British Airways chief executive, Willie Walsh, criticised the European Union's proposed emissions trading scheme claiming the proposals at this weeks Farnborough Air Show, saying that it will financially damage airlines.
Speaking at a sustainable aviation conference at the Air Show, Mr Walsh said that although he was broadly in support of emissions trading, he had ‘serious reservations’ about EU's proposals. He said: ‘If implemented as it now stands, without a global solution for aviation in place, the scheme will lead to a significant competitive disadvantage for EU airlines, resulting in a loss of jobs and reduction in services as international passengers bypass European hubs.'
He said that the EU's proposals could cost European airlines €4 billion a year, at a time when the aviation industry is trying to survive global economic slowdown and high price of fuel. It is estimated that the airline industry contributes 2 percent of greenhouse gases, and this is predicted to rise to 3 percent in the coming decades, he added.
The EU emissions trading scheme will come into operation from 2011, and will require airlines to purchase permits for producing carbon dioxide.
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