India confirms boycott of EU aviation emissions rule
Tensions continue to run high over the inclusion of aviation in the EU’s Emissions Trading System (ETS), after Indian government officials confirmed that New Delhi would be asking its airlines not to participate in the scheme. Meanwhile, the trade group representing the largest US airlines is now calling upon the White House to pursue a case against the Brussels plan at the International Civil Aviation Organization. “Though the European Union has directed Indian carriers to submit emissions details of their aircraft by March 31, 2012, no Indian carrier is submitting them in view of the position of the government,” India civil aviation minister Ajit Singh said. “Hence the imposition of a carbon tax does not arise.” The move makes India the second country to take concrete action against the inclusion of aviation in the Brussels scheme, with China having earlier banned its own airlines from complying with the EU ETS without government approval. Beijing has also reportedly halted the orders of US$14 billion worth of jets from Europe’s flagship airplane manufacturer, Airbus, in response to the aviation emissions rule. However, this claim has been contested by China’s aviation regulator, Li Jiaxiang, who indicated in an interview with Bloomberg that the country’s airlines have not been barred from buying Airbus planes. The US has also warned that it could take ‘appropriate action’ in response to the scheme, but has yet to take any concrete steps. However, Airlines for America – the trade group that had, together with three US airlines, unsuccessfully challenged the legality of including aviation in the scheme at the European Court of Justice – is nowÊcallingon the administration of US President Barack Obama to bring a case through the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the UN civil aviation body. “There is a clear path for the United States […]