Walsh urges others to learn from Europe ‘mistakes’ on aviation environmental policies

IATA DG Willie Walsh is urging other regions not to repeat what he calls the mistakes policy-makers in Europe have made in tackling aviation’s impact on environment. Speaking during the ALTA AGM and Airline Leaders Forum in Cancun on 23 October, Walsh said that policies should be based on “science, facts and data” rather than ”on emotion”. ”I think in Europe the debate is driven by what appears to be popular politically, rather than what is right for the environment longer term,” he says. ”I just hope that other regions look at mistakes Europe is making – and I think they are making a lot of mistakes – and recognise some of these decisions would be completely wrong for their region. So I’m hoping we have a more informed debate.” While referencing moves to cut capacity at airports – IATA and airlines are challenging a Dutch move to reduce movements at Amsterdam Schiphol airport – and environmental taxes, Walsh reserves much of his ire for the French ban on short-haul flights. He believes this policy, which has prompted the outlawing of just a handful of domestic routes out of Paris Orly, does not address the key challenge. ”It is seen as politically very popular. And the reality of that is the environmental benefit of that decision of France is zero,” Walsh says. Citing data from a Eurocontrol report, he adds: ”If you look at short-haul flying in Europe – and I think this will typically apply to other parts of the world – if you were to stop all flying of less than 500km, you would reduce the number of flights by 24%, but you would reduce the CO2 from the industry by 3.8%. ”Politically, stopping short-haul flying looks very popular, but it’s not addressing the environmental issue – because the environmental challenge we face is from long-haul flying. 80% of CO2 produced by the industry comes from flights greater than 1,500km where there is no alternative means of transport.”<br/>