Europe Poised To Extend ETS Limit until 2016

As the April deadline approaches for European policymakers to decide whether to extend the Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) to international operators again, a significant step has been taken in the opposite direction.

Last week European Commission proposals to charge international operators for portions of flights over EU airspace were pushed back, making it likely that when the European Parliament votes on the policy in early April it will maintain the “freeze” imposed last year as the result of international pressure over the “extraterritorial” nature of ETS. While this would be good news for non-EU operators flying into the EU, it is not a welcome development for EU airlines and operators of business aircraft based there, who feel that they are being unfairly penalized and that the whole ETS as it applies to aviation should be put on hold, pending a worldwide ICAO system.

If the European Parliament rejects the proposal, EU ETS will start to apply again to all operators of aircraft flying into the EU.