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Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) director general Andrew Herdman used the Greener Skies conference in Hong Kong to reiterate his organisation’s position that there needs to be political support for a global approach to tackle emissions from the international airline industry.
Herdman noted that the AAPA has expressed its full support for industry targets set by IATA earlier this year, which aim to deliver an improvement in CO2 emissions efficiency of 1.5 per cent each year to 2020; carbon neutral growth from 2020; and a halving of net emissions by 2050. “These are challenging and ambitious targets, but certainly achievable using the industry’s established four pillar strategy, combining technology, infrastructure, operational improvements and economic measures.”
Herdman added, “However, as an energy intensive, globally competitive industry, we need to build political support for a global sectoral approach for international aviation. The alternative of a patchwork of uncoordinated schemes and arbitrary levies would not achieve the desired environmental objectives in a cost effective manner. These are the key messages industry will be delivering to the ICAO High Level Meeting on Climate Change in Montreal, 7-9 October 2009 in preparation for Copenhagen.”
