Brussels rule could see airfares spike, warns Willie Walsh
An EU-plan requiring carriers to use a higher proportion of so-called sustainable aviation fuel will permanently bump up flight costs for passengers, the former IAG boss Willie Walsh has warned.
The controversial aviation titan, who now heads up the industry’s global lobbyist the International Air Transport Association, said the move to mandate biofuels was completely the wrong approach and that governments should focus on “more carrot and less stick.”
Passengers already pay a fuel duty as part of their fare.
Walsh was talking at an Aviation Club lunch in London.
He has recently slammed Heathrow’s plans to increase charges for carriers, accusing the airport’s bosses of having “zero commercial nous.” Heathrow has said it is only doing what other airports are doing in an effort to rebuild battered finances after the pandemic effectively bought global aviation to a halt.
The comments were first reported by the Daily Telegraph.
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