Airlines blast EU plan to expand emissions rule for flights

By FRANK JORDANS
Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) — An airline industry group is criticizing the European Union’s Parliament for seeking to expand its emissions trading system to long-haul flights. EU lawmakers voted Wednesday that existing requirements for airlines to buy credits for their greenhouse gas emissions should include all flights that leave the 27-nation bloc, Norway and Iceland. Current rules only apply to flights within that area. The International Air Transport Association warned Thursday that the decision “endangers international cooperation to tackle aviation’s climate change impacts.” It urged EU nations to reject the plan and commit to negotiating a global agreement on aviation emissions. Environmentalists welcomed the EU Parliament decision as moving ahead in the battle against climate change.