EU not ready to enforce pollution rules, airlines say

Airlines have warned the European Union they cannot yet comply with pollution rules that came into force this month, because the EU has not yet launched its promised system to administer them, a document seen by Reuters showed. The EU rules require airlines to track and report pollutants such as soot, nitrogen oxides and water vapour. These emissions contribute to global warming at least as much as planes' carbon dioxide output. But the EU has not yet launched a promised system - known as NEATS - to collate the data for this reporting, prompting calls from airlines to delay the deadlines. "Airlines cannot decide whether to rely on NEATS, develop proprietary tools, or utilize third-party solutions," industry groups Airlines for Europe (A4E), German industry association BDL and the European Cargo Alliance said in a letter to the European Commission, seen by Reuters. The industry has until next March to report its 2025 emissions. Failure to do so could lead to penalties. The letter was dated Dec. 24. NEATS has not launched since. A4E Policy Director Monika Rybakowska told Reuters that without it, airlines could need to collect thousands of data points per flight. A European Commission spokesperson said it aimed to launch NEATS in 2025 and would consult industry on the data models in the next two months.<br/>