A fault line has emerged along the edges of the European continent. Cross it and you will notice a reversal in attitudes towards flying.
In Europe, governments are working hard to curb aviation in the pursuit of net zero targets. For the rest of the world, however, a league of mega-airports is set to open in the next 10 years.
This week, Willie Walsh, the former British Airways boss and current IATA (International Air Transport Association) chief, said that an “arrogant” Europe risks alienating the world with its green air travel agenda, while the rest of the world continues to focus on growth.
“When I travel around and meet with airline CEOs and politicians, outside of Europe they have a huge appreciation for the value that new connectivity will bring to their economies,” Walsh said at an IATA conference in Dubai, arguing that Europe should focus on developing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), which is in short supply, rather than slowing growth in the aviation industry.
The European Commission’s European Green Deal, approved in 2020, says member states must reduce transport emissions by 90 per cent by 2050, compared with 1990 levels. To this end, France has banned domestic flights where the journey could be done in less than two and a half hours by rail, Spain has drafted its own domestic ban, and some groups in the UK are lobbying for a similar law.