Munich and Frankfurt airports have announced plans to introduce an emission-linked component in take-off and landing fees for a three-year test phase. The pilot project was developed by the German Airport Transport Initiative in consultation with the Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs, and will introduce a charge of 3 euros per kilogram of nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions for all airlines landing in Frankfurt and Munich effective January 1, 2008.

“With these emission-linked airport fees we will achieve two effects,” says Dr. Michael Kerkloh, the CEO of Munich Airport. “We create an incentive for airlines to operate aircraft with the lowest possible NOx emissions and send a long-term signal to manufacturers to forge ahead with technological innovation.” The change will not generate more revenues for the airports. The additional expenditures of the airlines for the emission-linked fees will be offset by an equivalent reduction in the fixed fees based on the maximum take-off mass of the aircraft type flown by the airline. “It would be counterproductive to weaken Germany’s competitiveness in the aviation sector with higher fees. However, we can exert a positive ecological impact broadening our range of instruments to improve our overall environmental performance by means of financial incentives,” says Dr. Wilhelm Bender, the CEO of Fraport AG.

By launching emission-linked airport fees, the aviation sector is making an active contribution to environmental protection that has the support of the German Airports Cooperative and the German Airlines Association (BDF). The incentive to reduce NOx emissions will primarily benefit the local air quality in the vicinity of the two airports.

With this move, the German Air Transport Initiative is intensifying its efforts to reduce aviation emissions. The airlines act as system partners of the airports and air traffic control, jointly pursuing the goal of achieving the greatest possible
compatibility of flight operations with environmental priorities. “We are making an active contribution to reduce emissions by driving technological progress, working to enhance the efficiency of our infrastructure and taking very specific operational measures such as the implementation of direct air routes,” said Wolfgang Mayrhuber, chairman of the executive board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG. “The inclusion of nitrous oxides in airport fees is yet another intelligent contribution to ecological progress in aviation.”

The German Air Transport Initiative is convinced that the new fee regulation, with its emission-based component, will send a very specific ecological signal while ensuring that the competitive playing field stays level for Germany’s aviation industry by avoiding distortions such as ticket taxes or development fees for airline passengers.

German Air Transport Initiative was launched by Deutsche Lufthansa AG (DLH), Flughafen Frankfurt AG (Fraport), Munich Airport (FMG) and Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH (DFS). These four aviation companies formed this initiative to foster policies and economic conditions that will strengthen Germany ’s competitiveness to ensure that it will continue to share in worldwide growth in air transport while securing existing jobs and creating new ones. German air traffic control, the two airports and the airline have entered into a close system partnership to enable the German aviation sector to compete as efficiently as possible. The German Air Transport Initiative is supported by ministries at the state and federal levels, policymakers and the German aviation associations.

Source: Munich Airport
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