Air Transport

^{David Learmount / Geneva}

The European Commission is examining whether there should be a weight threshold below which any future environmental levies on aviation would not apply.

Speaking at the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition in Geneva earlier this month, EC transport and environment directorate official Ronny Rohart revealed that EC studies show business aviation creates 5.4% of the emissions produced in Europe by aviation, while worldwide it produces 0.07% of total global warming gases.

The business aircraft percentage contribution to aviation emissions may be numerically small, but remains significant, says the EC, which expects to publish proposals by the end of 2006 that would offer industry incentives to improve its environmental performance.

Rohart says the options being examined include en-route charges and emissions trading. He says the EC believes trading would be “more efficient” than charges if the sole objective is to reduce emissions.

The Aviation Working Group on environment, set up in November 2005, was tasked with working out what thresholds, if any, should apply to environmental levies or other measures. The group reported at the end of April and, after an impact assessment study, a legislative proposal should be ready by December.

Under consideration are thresholds defined by aircraft weight, the annual number of flights per operator, formulas combining factors such as aircraft maximum take-off weight and certificated passenger capacity, or a threshold set for each operator.

Rohart says artificial restrictions on traffic or airport growth, departure or arrival taxes, and the imposition of VAT on air travel, have all been rejected.

The EC is recommending minimum regulatory controls and favours persuading operators to act voluntarily.

Existing actions to be strengthened, says Rohart, include higher priority for R&D, improving the efficiency of air traffic management, removing legal obstacles to taxing aviation fuel on intra-European Union routes, and increasing pressure for more-stringent technical and design specifications.