E.U. warns airlines over emissions compliance

All international airlines except those from mainland China and India have complied with the EU law on offsetting their carbon emissions, the European Union's climate chief said yesterday.

Eight Chinese and two Indian airlines have until mid-June to submit information to the European Union on how they plan to offset carbon emissions. If they fail to comply, then the European Commission has the option of fining airlines that break its law, or, as a last resort, banning then from flying to Europe.

Connie Hedegaard, climate action commissioner for the EU said in Brussels yesterday the 10 had so far failed to comply with an order requiring all airlines flying into Europe to participate in the EU's Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).

'We will remind them to report their data before mid-June, otherwise it will be up to the member states to apply penalties,' said Hedegaard.

But an airline executive said the EU had jumped the gun by releasing emissions data without the information from the 10 in an attempt to sideline mainland China and India as 'black sheep'.

Airlines and the EU clashed after the scheme was announced, and when Beijing entered the fray in February, it banned all carriers from participating in the ETS.

Under the EU requirements, global airlines are obliged to hand in their emissions data for their flights to and from Europe for 2011 by May 31. The EU said it had so far received more than 1,200 emissions reports.