AAPA welcomed also the suspension of the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) in a recent statement. The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines wants now to see the focus of an emissions trading regulation framework shifting rightly to ICAO.
KUALA LUMPUR- The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) has given a cautious welcome in response to the announcement by the European Commissioner for Climate Action suspending the inclusion of international aviation in the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS).
The fact that the EU was prepared to make some concessions over the EU ETS was first signaled in remarks made during a panel discussion at the AAPA Assembly of Presidents meeting held here in Kuala Lumpur on November 9th, 2012.
AAPA Director General, Mr. Andrew Herdman commented, “In making this long overdue move the EU has finally bowed to the inevitable, in effect acknowledging that it cannot unilaterally impose the scheme on non-EU airlines without the consent of other governments.”
Mr. Herdman added, “Temporarily suspending the scheme is obviously a positive gesture by the EU, but may not go far enough. The implied threat of an automatic snapback in a year’s time means that the EU will still be seen by some as negotiating with a gun on the table.”
AAPA has consistently argued that a global industry needs a coherent global policy framework on aviation emissions, with all parties now properly focused on ICAO as the right forum to reach such an agreement.
The AAPA is the trade association for scheduled international airlines based in the Asia-Pacific region.
The AAPA permanent secretariat is headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with international representation in Brussels and Washington, D.C. Collectively, the region’s airlines carry 650 million passengers and 18 million tonnes of cargo, representing one-quarter of global passenger traffic and two-fifths of global air cargo traffic respectively, and thus play a critically important role in the ongoing development of global aviation.
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
