India, US dig in against EU air carbon charge

[NEW DELHI] India voiced firm opposition on Tuesday to EU plans to impose a scaled-back carbon charge on flights over European airspace while a senior US lawmaker said the EU proposal runs afoul of a law intended to shield US airlines from such charges.

The European Commission, the EU executive, last week proposed to make all airlines pay for emissions over European airspace in a retreat from a suspended EU law that covered the duration of flights using EU airports.

India said the EU proposal defies a global aviation agreement hammered out in Montreal earlier this month at an assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the UN body in charge of civil air travel.