EUROCONTROL looking to support airlines in cutting the costs of compliance with ETS

The workshop, attended by key players in aviation emissions trading, representing aircraft operators, regulators, industry, States and the European Commission concluded that access, exchange and availability of information are key for minimising administrative costs of compliance with the ETS. Under the ETS, the vast majority of aircraft operators will be required to provide full accounting of their total CO2 emissions from each flight. Collecting this type of data will inevitably introduce additional tasks for all parties involved, and could require additional investments to be made. The workshop agreed that given the impact of the financial crisis on the aviation industry as a whole, it is crucial to establish lean mechanisms which are efficient and which will reduce as far as possible the overhead costs of compliance. EUROCONTROL already collects pan-European data, including environmental data, to assess the performance of the air traffic management system. Participants at the workshop called on the Agency to make this information available to support stakeholders in complying with the aviation segment of the EU ETS Directive. The airlines are under serious financial pressure, and the ETS is potentially an additional financial burden for them, said Jean-Luc Garnier, Deputy-Director Single European Sky Implementation at EUROCONTROL. EUROCONTROL is very aware of the need to support both cost-efficiency and environmental efficiency and this is why we are committed to supporting our stakeholders in delivering on their ETS requirements.