UK dismisses Jet Airways appeal over 15,000-euro carbon fine

Britain has rejected an appeal from Jet Airways over a 15,000-euro ($16,570) fine for failing to comply with Europe’s Emission Trading System (ETS), according to a government notice published on Friday.

Although the fine is relatively small, the rejection of the appeal could serve as a precedent in other cases where an international carrier may seek to contest a fine levied under the carbon emissions scheme.

The EU requirement that all aircraft using its airports pay for carbon dioxide emissions caused an international outcry, particularly from Saudi Arabia, India and Russia, when it was introduced at the start of 2012. The EU changed the rules a year later to apply only to the portions of flights within the bloc, rather than their entire length, but still faced opposition.

The British ruling notice, published on Friday but dated October 12, said Jet Airways was required to submit carbon allowances to cover 150 tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2012.

The carrier had said the Indian government had told it not to comply with the scheme.

“Those directions from the Indian Government could not oust the application of the EU-ETS,” David Hart QC said in the ruling. He was appointed by Britain’s Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change to oversee the case.

A Jet Airways spokesman could not be immediately reached for comment on Friday.

Earlier this year Saudi Arabian Airlines was fined about 1.4 million euros by a regional Belgian government for breaching EU carbon emissions rules.

And the German Emissions Trading Authority this year published a list of 44 non-compliant operators it had fined for not surrendering carbon allowances in 2012.

($1 = 0.9051 euros)