Airlines call for CO2 deal

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A number of the world’s largest airlines have formed a new coalition, which is urging politicians to include aviation in a new climate change bill.

British Airways, Air France, Cathay Pacific and Virgin Atlantic have formed the Aviation Global Deal Group, along with the airport operator BAA, which will seek to ensure that a “pragmatic, fair and effective” environmental policy is created for the industry.

A new global climate change agreement is expected to be drafted at a United Nations summit in Copenhagen in December, replacing the Kyoto Protocol of 2005.

Tony Tyler, chief executive of Cathay Pacific, hopes that the group will develop an “industry-led solution”. He said: “Aviation has a key part to play in reducing global emissions and for too long has been seen as part of the climate problem rather than part of the solution.”

Recent figures from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change disclosed that emissions from aviation presently contribute around two per cent of global carbon emissions.