Aviation transport system in light of its inclusion in the European Union emissions trading scheme

Even though aviation is responsible for a relatively small part of overall manmade carbon dioxide emissions, its rapid development prompts widespread concerns that the current and future emission levels may upset the environmental balance. For this reason regulators and aviation market players are making efforts to reduce their negative impact on the environment. In particular, the authors focus on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The paper attempts to evaluate the conflict between the financial and environmental sustainability of the aviation sector’s development. The authors discuss the implications of including aviation in the European Union (EU) Emissions Trading Scheme as of 2012 and set out to evaluate the ecoefficiency of the aviation sector from the perspective of European air carriers.