UK Government fines five aircraft operators for failure to comply with EU ETS
17th July, 2015
Image credit: Christian Junker via flickr
Five aircraft operators, including the flagship Indian airline, Air India, have been fined by the UK Government for failing to comply with the European emissions trading scheme (ETS), Green Air Online reports.
The fines, totaling £95,456, were for non-compliance with the ETS in 2012, meaning the airlines had not surrendered sufficient allowances to cover their emissions over the year. Two of the aircraft operators have since complied with the scheme.
Air India, which has been under government instructions not to conform, was fined £12,377. According to Green Air Online, an Indian Government official has said it is unlikely Air India would pay the penalty and the issue would be dealt with at a diplomatic level. However, another Indian carrier, Jet Airways, surrendered allowances for 2012-14 (and so is no longer listed on the Government webpage) due to a decision by its directors.
The fines issued by the UK follow a local Belgium government successfully recouping fines from several airlines (including the Russian and Saudi Arabian flag carriers) last month.
At the time, AEF Director, Tim Johnson called on the UK Government to follow suit saying doing so “would demonstrate that a market measure can be fairly enforced and so set a precedent for delivering a global scheme to control emissions”.
AEF welcomes the fines being issued and hopes that the UK Government would ensure that all outstanding fines are paid by airlines, including Air India, to ensure that the EU ETS is fairly enforced.
Read the Green Air Online article here.
View the list of fines here.