With more countries banning or limiting short-haul flights in favor of ‘greener’ train service, the world’s airlines are apparently feeling a bit of pain; through their association, the International Air Transport Association, they are accusing European countries of denying others what they have enjoyed.
Willie Walsh, former head of British Air and International Airlines Group, and now head of IATA, says so-called “flight-shaming” is primarily a European debate and that “I think we’re quite arrogant actually to believe that the rest of the world should follow what Europe is doing. The rest of the world wants to have the benefit that Europeans have had.”
Speaking at IATA’s annual meeting in Dubai, Walsh complained that there’s not enough sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to allow the airlines to lower carbon emission levels, and said that governments should concentrate their efforts on producing more SAF rather than limiting flights.
