The UK's Environment Agency (EA) has informed Carbon Pulse that six airlines are facing fines from the UK government, totalling at least €113,000, for failing to comply with the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) in 2012. Five operators have already been served with penalty notices, and a sixth notice is likely to be issued to India's Jet Airways, after the airline's appeal over non-compliance charges was dismissed. The operators that have been served notices include Air India, Loid Global Ltd, Oranto Petroleum, Media Consulting Services LLC, and Primevalue Trading Ltd. The notices were served for a total of 1,276 tonnes of CO2 emissions that were not covered by emissions units.
The EU ETS requires companies operating flights between airports in the European Economic Area (EEA) to report their emissions and submit an equivalent number of carbon units by a specified deadline. The fines imposed on the airlines add to the penalties being levied on non-European carriers that have refused to comply with the EU ETS. Many airlines argue that their governments have prohibited them from participating in the scheme, but the UK government-appointed adjudicator dismissed Jet Airways' claim, deeming the Indian government's directions to be non-binding. Germany has also published a list of 44 non-compliant operators facing fines, while other countries such as France and Flemish authorities have reportedly begun penalizing non-compliant airlines as well.
