In advance of the 21st United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP 21), which begins today in Paris, the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) governing council has adopted a declaration warning that the international air transport industry could be targeted for disproportionate fees under currently proposed legislation.
“There have been a number of calls for global air transport revenues to be taxed by states for use in non-aviation-related climate change mitigation programs,” said ICAO council president Dr. Olumuyiwa Aliu. “The ICAO council, through this recent declaration, wished to stress very clearly in advance of COP 21 that this is an unfair approach and one that is ultimately counter-productive given the historic and exemplary environmental performance of our sector and the significant socio-economic benefits it brings to states and regions all over the world.”
The declaration will be presented at the conference, which will run until December 11, and affirms ICAO’s commitment to a wide suite of measures aimed at improving aviation’s environmental performance. This includes implementation of air traffic management improvements to reduce fuel burn; a CO2 emission standard for new aircraft by next year; development of alternative fuels, and a global, market-based plan for international aviation from 2020, to be finalized at ICAO’s 39 Triennial Assembly next fall.