Aerospace Diary

Singapore Air Show » February 14, 2012 By Neelam Mathews Asian air transport industry leaders yesterday signaled European Commission vice president Siim Kallas that they will step up their war against the European Union’s emissions trading scheme (ETS). But Kallas held firm, telling the Singapore Airshow’s Aviation Leadership Summit that while the EU is willing to negotiate over how ETS applies to airlines outside Europe, it will only do so only on its own terms and is in no hurry to give ground. Kallas addressed the conference barely a week after the Chinese government banned its airlines from complying with ETS. Legislation currently moving through the U.S. Congress would have the same effect. What isn’t clear is how the EU would respond to a widespread refusal to comply with ETS. Its regulations call for punitive fines against operators who fail to account for their carbon emissions and pay for them with credits. China and the U.S., which have been leading the charge agains...

AIN Air Transport Perspective » January 16, 2012 by  Neelam Mathews Europe's ETS, higher UK passenger duty taxes and high airport and handling costs in India have convinced AirAsiaX to refocus on Asia. (Photo: AirAsia) January 12, 2012, 10:24 AM AirAsia X, long-haul subsidiary of Malaysia’s AirAsia, the largest Asian budget carrier, plans to withdraw 11 weekly services to Mumbai and Delhi in India and 10 weeklies to its only European destinations—Paris and London—from its Kuala Lumpur hub. Services to Mumbai and Delhi will cease from January 31 and March 22, respectively, while flights to London and Paris will end on March 30 and March 31. “The implementation of the Emissions Trading Scheme and escalating Air Passenger Duty taxes in the UK, which will rise yet again in April, have forced our decision to withdraw our services to Europe,” said Azran Osman-Rani, CEO of AirAsia X. AirAsia X has faced excess capacity a...

Jan 4, 2011 China 's airlines will refuse to pay any charges under the European Union's new emissions trading scheme. "China will not cooperate with the European Union on the ETS, so Chinese airlines will not impose surcharges on customers relating to the emissions tax," Cai Haibo, deputy secretary-general of the China Air Transport Association (CATA), told Reuters. "We are now walking on two legs - first, we would not rule out the chance of taking legal action and, second, to resort to the government for retaliatory measures. Several departments have been looking into this," Cai said.