MUMBAI: India has called on its airlines to boycott new European Union carbon restrictions, joining China in the action against Europe's new environmental regulations. Senior Indian government sources were reported to have said the country would not abide by the scheme, which could see diplomatic tension between India and the EU increase. “Though the European Union has directed Indian carriers to submit emissions details of their aircraft by March 31, 2012, no Indian carrier is submitting them in view of the position of the government,” India's civil aviation minister Ajit Singh said on Thursday in a statement to lawmakers. “Hence the imposition of a carbon tax does not arise,” Singh told lawmakers in a written reply. The EU has yet to comment on the Indian announcement of a boycott, but restrictions could be put in place that would affect the flights of Indian airlines into EU countries. India's opposition to the Emission Trading Scheme, a major plank in the bloc's efforts to curb carbon dioxide emissions and combat global warming, could damage the chances of the Free Trade Agreement it is negotiating with the EU, Reuters news agency said. On Monday, a senior government official told Reuters that India would ask local airlines not to buy carbon credits from or share emissions data with the bloc. Since January this year, all airlines using EU airports start to become liable to pay for carbon emissions, but no carriers will be handed a bill until next year. Initially, they will also be given free allowances to cover the bulk of the cost. The March 31 deadline is one of a series for airlines to comply with various EU requirements. Documents seen by Reuters showed that airlines, including from India and China, have previously signed up to become eligible for free allowances. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/0xiY0 Tags: airlines, Carbon, EU, Government, India Section: Environment, Going Green, South Asia
