New Mechanism for ETS Aviation

The European Commission is engaging a group of experts consisting of representatives from EU states and other trade associations to support with the new changes to keep EU in line with bloc’s ETS in the aviation industry—to reduce overall emissions to 50pc by 2030. The focus of the group is to enhance the progress of the implementation of EU ETS aviation directive by gathering insights from various aviation stakeholders. The group will also work on other aspects that include modifying the aviation sector’s role in achieving the EU’s emissions reduction target, implementing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) support mechanisms, establishing a system to monitor non-CO2 aviation emissions, and aligning with the UN’s CORSIA scheme. One of the changed of the newly introduced mechanism would also generate income by selling 20mn EU ETS allowances to speed up the adoption of SAF. Currently, the EU ETS is applicable solely to flights within the EEA, departures to Switzerland and the UK, while other flights are exclusively under CORSIA. The Commission will assess CORSIA’s contribution to the Paris climate agreement objectives in a review set for 2026.