After almost a decade of talks, the nations of the world committed Friday to drastically lower emissions of planet-warming gases from the world’s airplanes by 2050, a milestone in efforts to ease the climate effects of a fast-growing sector. The target to reach “net zero” emissions — a point in which air travel is no longer pumping any additional carbon dioxide into the atmosphere — would require the aviation industry to significantly step up its climate efforts. Previously, companies had relied on offsetting aviation’s emissions growth through tree-planting programs or through yet-to-be-proven technology to pull carbon dioxide out of the air. But to reach net zero, companies and governments would need to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in increasingly efficient planes and cleaner fuels to sharply reduce emissions from air travel itself. And even those investments are unlikely to be enough, compelling countries and companies to adopt policies to curb flying itself, by scrapping fuel subsidies or halting airport expansion plans, for example, or ending frequent flier programs. That puts the onus on the world’s richest countries, which account for the bulk of global air travel. The richest 20% of people worldwide take 80 percent of the flights, according to estimates by the International Council on Clean Transportation, a nonprofit think tank. The top 2% of frequent fliers take about 40% of the flights. “To build room for poorer countries to grow their aviation sectors, richer countries will need to peak emissions even faster,” said Dan Rutherford, director of the think tank’s aviation and marine programs. Emissions from global commercial aviation made up about 3% of global emissions in 2019, and had surged more than 30% over the previous decade before the coronavirus pandemic hit and traffic slumped. But air travel has come back with a vengeance, making action to address rising emissions imperative. The aviation industry has been slow to address its emissions, which aren’t covered by the Paris accord, the 2015 agreement among the nations of the world to fight climate change. Instead, a United Nations-like body called the International Civil Aviation Organization has overseen the climate talks. <br/>
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The US EPA on Friday said it was proposing to declare emissions from piston-engine aircraft operating on leaded fuel pose a danger to public health. Emissions from the 190,000 US general aviation airplanes operating on leaded fuel account for about 70% of the lead entering the atmosphere, according to US government estimates. Lead is not in jet fuel, which is used by commercial aircraft. The EPA said if the proposed "endangerment finding" is finalized, it would subsequently propose regulatory standards for lead emissions from aircraft engines.Reuters first reported in January that the EPA was again reviewing whether emissions from piston-engine aircraft operating on leaded fuel contribute pose a danger to public health. While levels of airborne lead in the United States have declined 99% since 1980, piston-engine aircraft are the largest remaining source of lead emissions into the air. Children's exposure to lead can cause irreversible and lifelong health effects, the EPA said. "When it comes to our children, the science is clear, exposure to lead can cause irreversible and life-long health effects,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement on Friday. "Aircraft that use leaded fuel are the dominant source of lead emissions in the country." In 2006, the EPA received a petition asking for regulations of lead emissions from general aviation airplanes. The agency opened a proceeding in 2010 to review the issue and in 2015 said it had planned to issue a final endangerment finding in 2018.<br/>
Canada on Friday said it would ban the top leadership of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from entering the country and promised more targeted sanctions over the treatment of women in Iran and the downing of a civilian airliner in 2020. Iran has faced increasing international condemnation and nationwide protests following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of morality police. An Iranian coroner's report on Friday denied she died due to blows to the head and limbs while in custody. Ottawa is also still pressuring Iran over the Ukrainian International Airlines plane shot down in January 2020. As many as 138 of the 176 people killed on the flight had ties to Canada. Canada plans to expand targeted sanctions measures and establish a sanctions bureau, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland announced at a news conference on Friday. The IRGC, a powerful faction that controls a business empire as well as elite armed and intelligence forces in Iran, has been accused by Western nations of carrying out a global terrorist campaign. Iran rejects that.<br/>
Hours-long lines for security that often snake outside under tents. Untold numbers of angry passengers who have queued in those lines -- yet still missed their flights. Worker strikes and delayed or lost baggage. Condemnation by major airlines, most notably KLM. At Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, labor shortages continue to fuel unprecedented chaos that began in the spring, prompting many travelers and aviation insiders to wonder what has happened to an airport long considered one of the most efficient and highly regarded in Europe -- if not the world. The beleaguered airport -- the world's third busiest for international passenger numbers in 2021 -- has continued to cut flight capacity, infuriating airlines such as KLM, the national carrier of the Netherlands whose hub is at Schiphol. The latest round of cuts asked airlines to implement reductions up to 22% for the winter season -- a "hopeless situation, lacking any perspective," KLM said in a release. KLM added that the situation is "damaging our reputation among passengers who are keen and willing to travel after the extended Covid crisis." The airline estimates it has incurred more than 100 million euros (about $96 million) in damages as a result.<br/>Over the summer, several airlines, including Air Malta, TUI and Transavia, opted to shift flights from Schiphol to other airports, according to Simple Flying. Many have placed blame on mismanagement, and on September 15, Dick Benschop, president and CEO of Royal Schiphol Group, announced his resignation. Benschop will remain in place until a successor is found.<br/>
Eurocontrol director general Eamonn Brennan has flagged congestion and competitive distortion issues that the long-term closure of Russian airspace creates, in addition to the routes directly impacted by the ongoing restrictions. Most European airlines have pulled their flights to Russia since its invasion of Ukraine earlier this year, while those with networks heavily reliant on overflying Russian airspace have had to pivot operations elsewhere. While Finnair, which had built much of its network strategy on serving as a connecting point between Europe and Asia-Pacific, is the most obvious example, the airspace restrictions continue to impact wider European airline long-haul networks. Virgin Atlantic cited “operational complexities” stemming from the airspace closure in its decision not to restore its London-Hong Kong service. Speaking 4 October, Brennan highlighted fight data for the key June-September period which showed a strong recovery in activity despite the restrictions. “We got to 87% of 2019 [flights] over the summer and what’s depressing [these figures] is obviously the long-haul,” says Brennan. Notably Europe-Asia-Pacific is lagging, which also relects continued strict Covid restrictions in China alongside the airspace issue. Eurocontrol data for the week ending 2 October shows flight activity in this segment still 29% below the same week in 2019. By contrast, transatlantic flight activity is within 4% of pre-pandemic levels. Brennan notes that the closure of the Russian airspace means ”everybody is moving south”, which in turn creates additional congestion in the rest of European airspace.<br/>
Members of the European Parliament have voted to adjust the minimum number of slots to 75% that airlines must use this winter in order to retain them in 2023, ahead of returning to the pandemic 80:20 ‘use it or lose it’ slot rule next summer. EU regulators suspended slot rules when the pandemic hit two and a half years ago as passenger traffic demand collapsed. As borders steadily reopened it has since been slowly lifting the requirement for how much of their slot allocation airlines must use in order to retain them for the following season. Airports and some fast growing budget carriers, such as Wizz Air, have called for the faster restoration of these rules. This summer the minimum slot number was set at 64% and the European Commission had proposed a return to 80:20 rules for this coming winter – albeit with exceptions in place in the case of significant air travel disruption. The European Parlament though has voted to set the minimum level at 75% for the winter season, which begins at the end of October. It says the previous 80:20 rule will then apply from summer 2023. MEPs also approved further exceptions to justify not using the slots, “such as epidemiological emergencies, natural disasters, or widespread political unrest with a disruptive effect on air travel”. This allows the Commission to lower the minimum slot utilisation rate if air traffic falls below 80% of 2019 levels for two consecutive weeks due to Covid, another epidemiological situation, or as a direct result of Russia’s war against Ukraine. It also has set out rules supporting the possible restoration of air services to Ukraine. This would allow a 16-week recovery period before slot rules become applicable once Ukrainian airspace reopens. <br/>
The French government is in favour of raising taxes for private jets next year by aligning the taxation of aviation fuels with that of fuels used by cars, environment minister Christophe Bechu said on Saturday. "The government supports this amendment," Bechu told franceinfo radio after some lawmakers from President Emmanuel Macron's bloc filed an amendment to the 2023 tax bill. Imposing tougher laws on private jet emissions has become a political issue in France since this summer, when wildfires which scientists said were likely linked to climate change raged throughout the country amid serious heat waves. Several Twitter accounts tracking French billionaires' private jet flights have emerged, causing a public outcry over emissions by the wealthy while ordinary people are being asked to make energy savings. While members of France's main opposition bloc on the left had called for an outright ban, the government had said it was in favour of adjusting regulation.<br/>