Les propositions du Pacte vert de l’UE pour le secteur de l’aviation et le plan de décarbonisation des transports du Royaume-Uni : premières réflexions

Le plan du Royaume-Uni

Le plan du Royaume-Uni présente – de manière globale – les plans du gouvernement pour décarboniser tous les aspects du secteur des transports intérieurs au Royaume-Uni. Toutefois, contrairement à l’annonce de l’UE, le plan du Royaume-Uni ne contient pas encore les détails de la législation proposée.

En ce qui concerne les propositions du Royaume-Uni pour le secteur de l’aviation, les éléments les plus notables du plan comprennent les suivants :

• Une consultation sur la stratégie « Jet Zero » du gouvernement, qui définira les étapes à suivre pour atteindre la carboneutralité dans le secteur de l’aviation d’ici 2050, et une consultation sur un objectif accéléré pour le secteur de l’aviation intérieur du Royaume-Uni afin d’atteindre la carboneutralité d’ici 2040.
• Le soutien au développement d’une nouvelle technologie aéronautique carboneutre au Royaume-Uni grâce au programme de l’Aerospace Technology Institute et le financement de la recherche et du développement visant les infrastructures de vol carboneutres dans les aéroports du Royaume-Uni.
• Le renforcement de l’accent mis par le Royaume-Uni sur les CAD, y compris la volonté de « stimuler la commercialisation de CAD britanniques » [traduction] et un engagement à effectuer une consultation sur un mandat relatif aux CAD britanniques.
• Un engagement à améliorer le système d’échange des droits d’émission du Royaume-Uni, y compris un examen des quotas gratuits, mais seulement en ce qui concerne son interaction avec le programme mondial de compensation pour le secteur de l’aviation, CORSIA, sans mention de progrès dans l’établissement d’un lien entre le système d’échange des droits d’émission du Royaume-Uni avec celui de l’UE, beaucoup plus important, qui avait été mentionné dans l’entente post-Brexit entre le Royaume-Uni et l’UE.

Le gouvernement britannique reconnaît toutefois qu’un alignement international est essentiel pour faire progresser la décarbonisation du secteur de l’aviation. Il a déclaré son intention d’adopter « un objectif mondial ambitieux de réduction des émissions à long terme » [traduction] par l’intermédiaire de l’Organisation de l’aviation civile internationale (OACI) d’ici 2022. Il s’agirait d’un objectif supplémentaire et distinct de celui du CORSIA de l’OACI.

Bien que le plan du Royaume-Uni soit intrinsèquement limité aux mesures visant à remédier à la situation intérieure au Royaume-Uni, il est clair que le gouvernement britannique espère montrer l’exemple. Les acteurs du secteur attendront avec intérêt de connaître les détails du plan du Royaume-Uni et les propositions législatives connexes.

Update to the EU Green Deal - proposals for aviation

The EU’s update to the Green Deal, known as “Fit for 55” (referring to the 55% target reduction in carbon emissions by 2035) contain detailed proposals, with the headline announcements accompanied by a raft of draft legislation to implement the plans. The proposed measures will impact the aviation industry from a variety of angles. Key among them are the following:

• Mandated minimum use of SAF: EU-wide harmonised rules for SAF that will apply to fuel suppliers and airline operators under a new EU Regulation, RefuelEU Aviation. Under the Regulation airlines will be obliged to uplift SAF-blended aviation fuel when departing from EU airports. Fuel suppliers will be required to include increasing percentages of SAF into jet fuel, starting at 2% by 2030 and culminating with 63% by 2050. The proposal promotes advanced biofuels and synthetic fuels produced from green electricity and in line with the sustainability requirements under the revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED). 
• Tax on traditional aviation fuel: Minimum tax rates are introduced for aviation fuels used on intra-EU flights under the revised Energy Taxation Directive. The proposed tax rates on aviation fuel will increase gradually over a ten year period to reach a minimum rate of €10.75 per gigajoule EU-wide, while sustainable and alternative aviation fuels will enjoy a zero minimum tax rate. An exemption for cargo-only intra-EU flights is proposed, in order to preserve a level playing field between EU and third country cargo-only carriers, who have a high market share of cargo-only flights and cannot be taxed due to international agreements.
• Significant reform to emissions trading:
  • Allowances allocated to airlines for free will be phased out over time. The overall cap on emissions would be adjusted in 2023, with a new linear reduction factor of 4.2% applied each year to bring emissions into line with the EU’s 2030 economy-wide reduction target of 55% below 1990 levels.
  • The EU will apply CORSIA to international flights, to offset aviation emissions which go beyond 2019 levels. 
  • A new Emissions Trading System would be created to cover emissions from fuel supplies to the transportation (and buildings) sectors from 2025, based on the full auctioning of allowances.
• Electricity supply for stationary aircraft: A proposal for an Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation, replacing the current Directive, would introduce the obligation to provide electricity supply to all stationary aircraft instead of jet fuel. This obligation will apply to all gates from 2025 and to all outfield posts from 2030.
• Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM): The Commission’s proposed CBAM would affect the manufacturing of aircraft and engines by requiring the importers of certain raw materials, such as steel, to pay for the carbon content of their products. Importers would need to buy special certificates, priced according to the weekly average price of daily EU Allowance auctions, to surrender to the Commission at the end of each compliance year.

The scale of these measures, applying as they would to the 27 member states of the EU, will be sweeping and represent a huge shift for the industry. However, some proposals are likely to face resistance from governments and some industry players alike and their final form is by no means guaranteed. What is clear is that, as with its Taxonomy for sustainable activities, the EU is taking measures on sustainability which will have an impact on both EU and non-EU airlines. 

Conclusions

It has always been the case that decarbonising aviation requires a combination of bolder government action, technological innovation, operational and consumer change, greater international cooperation and support from the finance sector to meet ambitious targets. While the proposals issued are bold, industry players will be keen to receive further details of the UK Plan and will keenly observe progress regarding the EU proposals.

There will be some, especially amongst environmental groups, who feel the planned measures do not go far enough and feature less ‘big government’ intervention than the challenge of decarbonising and addressing climate change warrants, with the fear that input from stakeholders may ultimately result in diluted obligations. Airlines, manufacturers and other key market participants may also feel that if they are primarily to shoulder the financial burden of ambitious decarbonisation targets which can only be met in part through very long-term investment in new technology, greater government incentivisation and financial support for the aviation sector would be welcome.