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| Tony Tyler - Beijing 2012 |
IATA is an international trade body, created over 60 years ago by a group of airlines. Today, IATA represents some 240 airlines comprising 84% of total air traffic. It is a respected and valuable source of data about the industry and has led many international initiatives for industry improvements that have benfitted not only the industry but also passengers. It is probably no coincidence that this year's IATA conference is being held currently in Beijing. China is building literally hundreds of new airports and as a major economy in the 21st Century. IATA is sensibly acknowledging the economic shift with its chopice of venue.
One of the key calls by IATA for some time has been for a global approach to aircraft emissions through a comprehensive global solution to be negotiated through the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The aviation industry has set its own target on emissions and efficiency including:
Tony Tyler, IATA’s Director General and CEO stated in Beijing:
“To meet our ambitious targets we will need a globally-agreed approach covering the areas of technology, operations, and infrastructure as well as positive market-based- measures. Everyone—including Europe—agrees that the solution must be a global agreement through ICAO at the 2013 Assembly. But Europe’s unilateral and extra-territorial inclusion of international aviation in its emissions trading scheme from 2012 is creating discord when we need harmony,”
The EU is currently pressing ahead ahead unilaterally with the intended inclusion of ALL international airlines using EU airspace in its Emissions Trading Scheme that is predicted will cost aviation 1.4 billion Euros annually. This has natuarally generated huge international anger and opposition (see http://stowawaetravelnews.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/eu-carbon-tax-war-of-words-ramps-up-ft.html) . There is currently gamesmanship being played by the EU who, whilst now agreeing the need for an international solution to replace its EU ETS, is not so far indicating it will postpone its scheme before the first payments are due that it is demanding from international airlines next year.
In an apparenct call for the EU to make a move to encourage the EU to makea gesture that would prevent the situation deteriorating into a series of retaliatory moves against the airlines of Sovereign states refusing to comply with the EU demands and an even broader trade war, Mr Tyler added: "..............Nobody can deny Europe the credit for moving sustainability up the global agenda. States are focused on the issue as never before. The onus is now on Europe to seize the moment, take a credible action to defuse the situation, and get on with finding the global solution that everybody is hoping for....”
In view of the Eurozone crisis, it's clearly in everyone's interest to come up with a solution as soon as possible. Let's hope that behind the scenes Eurocrats are working on a solution that will avoid such an unwelcome and uneccessary situation........
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