Chinese airlines are preparing to take Brussels to court over its plan to charge carriers for carbon emissions, a Chinese industry official has said, and are also considering how they might retaliate against European airlines.
The hard line from the China Air Transport Association, which represents all major Chinese airlines, intensifies a dispute with the European Union that the head of Airbus has warned could turn into a trade war. It comes shortly before the EU’s January 1 start date for bringing the aviation sector into its emissions trading scheme.
Cai Haibo, deputy secretary-general with CATA, said it intended to make the legal challenge in Europe before the end of this year.