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News
Briefs
First
A380 flight to be sold for charity.
Singapore Airlines
– the first airline in the world to fly the new Airbus A380 – is
preparing for the first commercial flight of the new double-decker
jumbo jet, from Singapore to Sydney and return. It will take place
in the month of October 2007. And in an unprecedented move, all
proceeds from the sale of tickets on the first flight will be
donated to charities. In response to requests from people all over
the world to be passengers on the first flight, Singapore Airlines
will auction the seats on global online marketplace, eBay. Bids will
be invited for seats on this history making flight, and winning
bidders will know that every dollar they pay will go to worthwhile
charities. All customers will receive a personalized
ceremonial certificate confirming they were part of the first ever
commercial A380 flight. Singapore Airlines Chief Executive Officer,
Chew Choon Seng, said the Airline wants to acknowledge ! the
widespread interest in the entry into commercial service of this
all-new airplane, and to use the opportunity to benefit worthwhile
charities. "The first commercial A380 flight will be a moment
in aviation history. It will be a once-in-a-lifetime
experience, on an aircraft that will mark a new chapter in air
travel. "And while we will celebrate the event, we also
wish to remember the people who are less fortunate and can be
assisted by the charities to which all the proceeds will go,"
Mr. Chew said. Singapore Airlines has secured support from three
important partners for this charity event. One of the
Airline's strategic fuel suppliers, and a key partner, ExxonMobil
Aviation, will donate the fuel for the flights. Source: The
Nation Business
UK
parliament calls for mandatory carbon offsets.
The amount of carbon offsets British
Airways has sold since launching its Climate Care program in 2005 is
“risible,” a U.K. parliamentary committee said, and it called on
the country's aviation industry to address climate change in a more
effective way. Voluntary carbon offsets do not go far enough, the
House of Commons' Environmental Audit Committee said after reviewing
written testimony from executives at British Airways, Virgin
Atlantic and Silverjet. It suggested the government should “make
offsetting payments a compulsory charge on all airline tickets.”
The committee admitted that mandatory carbon offsetting may have a
“minor impact at best” on emissions, but it could encourage
better carbon behaviour overall.” Silverjet is to be congratulated
for its program of buying offsets for all passengers on its flights,
the committee said. Virgin Atlantic doesn't have an offsetting
program, a! lthough it says it will begin offsetting later this
year. The committee believes British Airways has not done enough to
promote its Climate Care program. Airlines argued that aviation's
inclusion in the European Union's emissions trading scheme (ETS)
from 2011 will mitigate emissions from the sector. But the committee
argued that benefits from the ETS will be “diluted” for
aviation. First, airlines will benefit from a free allocation of
carbon credits when they join the ETS and will pass on any costs of
compliance to consumers – so-called “windfall profits” seen
when energy companies had to comply with the ETS. Second, Parliament
believes the cost of carbon credits will never be prohibitive enough
for airlines to mitigate emissions. Source: Aviation Daily
KLM
pledges to offset 4 million tons of CO2 in next four years. KLM
last week signed an agreement with Wereld Natuur Fonds (the Dutch
branch of the World Wildlife Fund) to "achieve CO2-neutral
growth in comparison with 2007" by offsetting approximately 4
million tons of carbon dioxide emissions in the next four years
through "emission reduction and compensation." The carrier
said the agreement is the first of its kind in the industry. Through
fleet modernization and reduced fuel consumption, KLM said it will
reduce emissions per passenger by three per cent by 2012 – the
year after EU airlines are included in the continent's emissions
trading scheme (ATWOnline,
June 11) – and by 17 per cent in 2020. "Our ambitions
certainly are optimistic, and KLM has its sights set on staying
ahead of the pack. We are convinced that our customers wi! ll react
with enthusiasm," President and CEO Peter Hartman said.
Compensation will take place through the airline's participation in
sustainable energy projects without CO2 emissions that are organized
"largely in development countries." Source: Air
Transport World
UK
gets tough on Open Skies talks.
British transport
minister Ruth Kelly told the United States on Thursday that Europe
would press for further liberalization of transatlantic air traffic.
"The government with our European counterparts will be strongly
pressing the case for further liberalization in Washington,"
Secretary of State for Transport Ruth Kelly told reporters. "It
is neither in America's nor Europe's interests for the restrictions
to continue," she said.
In
March, EU transport ministers gave unanimous support to an "open
skies" deal which will allow EU airlines to fly from any city in the
27-nation bloc to any city in the United States and vice versa, replacing
restrictive bilateral arrangements that date back to World War Two. EU
states can withdraw benefits of the agreement from US airlines if
Washington does not agree by 2010 to a second phase allowing foreign
airlines to buy more voting rights in US carriers and permitting them to
run domestic US services.
Looking
to other markets, Kelly said: "We will continue to press forward with
liberalizing air transport markets, sweeping away outdated restrictions on
routes, schedules and fares which still hold back development of our links
with key economies, for example in Africa and Asia." Kelly called for
both industry and the public to increase vigilance and preparation in
order to avoid airport chaos this summer amid recently tightened security.
Source: Reuters
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