UN aviation experts contemplate tougher emissions stnadards for aircraft

UN aviation experts are again discussing toughening emissions standards for commercial aircraft, less than six years before a previously agreed clampdown takes effect. Support for a new emissions standard could put pressure on planemakers, which need years to adapt to rule changes due to long production cycles, to cease producing their least efficient models, two sources familiar with the talks said. Experts from the US and some European countries backed tougher emissions standards during a virtual gathering of the ICAO group this week, according to working papers and sources. One of the sources said ICAO's Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP) agreed on Thursday to draft new standards for civil aircraft, as part of broader efforts through 2025 to update rules for aircraft noise and emissions. But it remains unclear when the proposed standards for commercial aircraft, such as those made by planemakers Boeingand Airbus, would be drafted and take effect, and how stringent they would be, the source said. "It's a real struggle to see it all getting done by 2025," the source said. The meeting comes as ICAO is seeking broad agreement this fall on a long-term climate goal amid differences between Europe and China and growing pressure for aviation to curb emissions.<br/>