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LRQA

EU ETS Aviation

Proposals to add aviation to the EU ETS

The European Commission (EC) has recently proposed adding emissions data from the aviation industry to the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS).

Who is covered by the scheme?

'Aircraft operators' are the entities responsible for compliance.

This excludes flights by state aircraft, flights under visual flight rules, circular flights, flights for testing navigation equipment or for training purposes, rescue flights and flights by aircraft with a maximum take-off weight of less than 5,700kg.

How are aircraft operators to be included?

Each aircraft operator will be administered by one Member State only (the state where an operating licence was issued OR the state in which the aircraft operator's emissions in the base year are most attributable).

Each aircraft operator will be allocated a certain number of allowances free of charge.

When is the scheme proposed to come in?

Monitoring and reporting requirements are proposed to take effect from 2010.

  • From 2011 emissions are proposed to be subject to a cap and aircraft operators will be required to surrender allowances to cover their emissions.
  • Flights between airports in the Community are proposed to be included from 1/1/2011.
  • Flights arriving at or departing from airports in the Community are proposed to be included from 1/1/2012.

What will aircraft operators be required to do?

  • Apply for allowances by submitting to their administering Member State verified tonne-kilometre data for 2008 (using distance × payload).
  • Monitor their emissions of CO2 and report them to their competent authority by 31st March each year (using fuel consumption × emission factor).
  • Have their annual reports verified by an accredited verifier.
  • Surrender the correct number of allowances by 30th April each year (project credits from Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Joint Implementation (JI) can also be used).

How can LRQA help you prepare for this scheme?

Through our experience in dealing with aviation specific schemes, including AS 9100 and the aviation sector's inclusion in the next phase of EU ETS, LRQA can offer you insight and expertise which can help your organisation better prepare for the new guidelines.

Specifically, LRQA can provide your organisation with:

  • Briefings on the current status of developments in this area
  • Guidance on how to prepare for the scheme
  • Gap Analyses of your existing systems against the compliance and data calculation requirements
  • Baseline and Annual verifications

Background information

Over the next 12 months from November 2007, LRQA will be working together with Entec UK Ltd and Ecologic, with the EC to assist in the development of the monitoring, reporting and verification guidelines for aviation's inclusion in the EU ETS. LRQA will be providing technical support to Entec UK Ltd, to draft these guidelines in consultation with stakeholders.

The EC proposal will require aircraft operators to monitor and report verified data on CO2 emissions arising from aviation activities covered by the scheme. The current proposals include intra-EU flights, expanding to eventually include all flights to and from EU airports. Aircraft operators would also have to submit verified activity data for a certain base-period in order to apply for allocations of emissions allowances.

In anticipation of the adoption of the proposal, the Commission is preparing for implementation of the new provisions. This includes the development and adoption of detailed guidelines for the monitoring, reporting and verification of emissions and activity data.

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