EC publishes historical ETS allocations

The European Commission has published its historical emissions data upon which allocations for the aviation Emissions Trading Scheme will be based, stating that "aviation emissions of 219,476,343 tonnes of CO2 represents the average of the estimated annual emissions for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006" for flights that will be covered under the ETS starting next year.

Based on this figure, the allowances to be created in 2012 amount to 212,892,052 tonnes of CO2, representing 97% of historical emissions. The allowances to be created each year from 2013 onward amount to 208,502,525 tonnes of CO2 or 95% of historical emissions.

VerifAvia CEO Julien Dufour told ATW’s Eco-Aviation Today that “there are no surprises in the figures. I don't think this will have any implication, other than an official figure for people who had never seen any estimates.” He said that “what really matters is the tonne-kilometer benchmark, which is extremely difficult to estimate. Without the TK benchmark, the baseline has little value.” All operators must submit verified emissions and TK data by the end of March to their respective authorities and the benchmark will be published by Sept. 30 with the scheme to start on Jan. 1.

According to a report from Standard and Poors, airlines that operate long-haul routes with the latest fuel-efficient aircraft with significant premium traffic will be less impacted by the ETS.

Eighty-two percent of allowances will be provided to aircraft operators at no charge, 15% will be auctioned off and 3% "will be allocated to a special reserve for later distribution to fast-growing airlines and new entrants into the market." Free allowances will be allocated based on each airline's reported activity in 2010 in terms of passengers and freight carried and distance traveled. The EC has estimated that the ETS will add around €12 ($16.78) to the price of an economy class return ticket between Brussels and New York.