30.10.2002
German Ministry Calls for End to Airline Subsidies

Air travel creates high costs for the environment

The increased damage to the environment caused by frequent air travel needs
to be reflected in higher prices for tickets and an elimination of subsidies
for jet fuel, says the German Environment Ministry.

A study published this week by the Federal Environment Ministry in Germany
focuses attention on the "external costs" of frequent air travel. According
to research gathered by a team of scientists, air transport results in
several negative side-effects such as increased levels of carbon dioxide
emissions and noise pollution, all of which result in additional costs for
communities located near airports. But because these damages are not figured
into the overall costs of a plane ticket, there is very little incentive for
the aviation industry to reduce the impact it has on the environment.

Up until now external costs such as those arising through health problems
caused by air pollution and noise irritation or a decrease in property values
have all had to be carried by the community, says Andreas Troge, President of
the Federal Environment Ministry (UBA). The airlines themselves do little to
contribute to lowering these costs, Troge stated at a press conference prior
to the release of the study.

On the contrary, the German aviation industry currently enjoys a special
status within the transport sector, profiting from subsidies on jet fuel and
tax abatements for profits made on international flights. The total cost of
the subsidies for the tax payer is around seven billion euro annually, Troge
says. And no other sector has similar benefits – car drivers, for instance,
are taxed heavily each time they go to fill up at the local gas station.

For this reason Troge and his office are calling for an increase in ticket
prices and an end to all aviation subsidies.

A cheap ticket is expensive for the environment

Although consumers may appreciate them, the advantages of cheap ticket prices
offered by discount airlines such as Ryanair and the upstart German Wings are
far outweighed by the damage done to the environment. The "Kölner
Stadt-Anzeiger" newspaper in Cologne, whose airport was recently expanded to
make room for several discount carriers, points out that the "freedom over
the clouds is not without its limits" and that the government needs to keep
in mind not only "business regulations but also ecological requirements."

According to the UBA study, the external costs to the environment for a
500-kilometer flight (approximately the distance between Munich and Berlin)
with a fully-booked 100-seat plane is about 10 euro per passenger. For a long
distance flight over 6,000 kilometers (Frankfurt to Chicago), the
environmental costs for a fully-booked 400-seat plane is 43 euro pro
passenger. The costs are based on the amount of fuel burned in flight, the
length of the contrail the plane leaves and the amount of noise it creates
during take off and landing.

In order to carry the cost of damage to the environment, airlines would need
to increase their prices by about 20 percent, especially on the cheap
long-distance flights, the study says. This is not a popular option, as many
airlines fear losing passengers at a time when the economy is drying up. But
Troge’s office says doing so would force the public to be more conscious of
the amount of environmental damage caused by air travel and encourage people
to look for alternative means of transport wherever possible.
(non text portions omitted)
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