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EU drafts plan to exempt long-haul flights from new emissions rules

The European Commission has actually drafted plans to initially exempt longhaul flights from rules on monitoring their nonCO2 emissions after global providers lobbied for an optout, files seen revealed.

The EU is developing plans to require airline companies to track and report their contribution to environment change from January 2025 - not just from carbon dioxide, but likewise soot, nitrogen oxides and water vapour.

Airlines' non-CO2 emissions add to global warming at least just as much as their CO2 output, according to the EU's. air travel security authority.

A draft Commission proposition for the new guidelines, seen by. , would leave out international flights - specified by the EU. as those departing or landing in Europe from non-European. destinations - from the emissions disclosure guidelines for two. years, restricting them until 2027 to only flights within Europe.

Such reporting shall just be needed in regard of paths. involving two aerodromes located in the European Economic Area,. it said, including that flights from the EEA to Switzerland or. Britain would also be covered.

It did not offer a rationale for the exemption. The exemption. mirrors present EU rules that require airline companies to disclose and. pay fees for their CO2 emissions produced on flights just inside. Europe, although those guidelines are due to be reassessed in 2026.

The proposed new rules have actually split the industry.

Lobby group the International Air Transportation Association has. been seeking an exemption for long-haul flights, while low-cost. European providers Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz Air state all flights. - consisting of long-haul international trips - must be consisted of.

The blanket exclusion of extra-EEA routes would offer the. deceptive impression that these paths produce no non-CO2. warming effects, misdirecting all future non-CO2 mitigation. measures, the airlines said in a joint declaration distributed to. EU governments.

IATA has said it is not presently possible to precisely. keep an eye on a flight's non-CO2 emissions, which the EU's. emissions keeping track of requirements should be voluntary and. exclude international flights.

Any objective of expanding the scope to extra-EU. international flights would raise legal concerns, IATA director. general Willie Walsh stated in a letter to the European Commission. in April, seen .

The European Commission did not right away react to a. ask for remark.

(source: Reuters)