Vietnam Airlines is among 4,000 aviation carriers liable to be banned from landing at all EU airports or risk being fined if the aviation emission cuts are not made and the fuel use to meet the environment protection standards required by EU before January 1, 2012. Could you elaborate on the issue and what are measures being taken to cope with the situation?

Under commission regulation No 748/2009 published in the Official Journal of the European Union on August 22, 2009, Vietnam Airlines is listed among those aviation carriers that will be affected by the requests. As the national carrier has been participating in international markets for years, it is compulsory and regular to consider every issue relevant to our business.

Vietnam Airlines considers it normal to listen to the request and has taken specific steps to implement controls in the amount of carbon dioxide emissions from our airplanes and the amount of fuel consumed in accordance with the EU standards set for about 4,000 airlines all over the world, starting from January 2010.

Steps include the establishment of a steering committee on fuel saving and emissions control, and we are determined to meet all the demands by the EU aviation authority.

Vietnam Airlines is among the first aviation carriers to respond to the EU’s requests.

We have sent reports on a monitoring plan for emissions and tonnes per kilometre fuel usage, along with a detailed draft related to the issue to a representative of the EU aviation authority, the Direction Generale de l’Aviation Civile, DGAC. These reports have been accepted.

Vietnam Airlines hopes to officially measure aviation emissions and tonnes per km starting from January 1, 2010.

If the EU applies these measures on consumed fuel and carbon dioxide exhaust on Vietnam Airlines’ airplanes by 2012, isn’t this in contrast to the views of the Air Transport Association (IATA), and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), that state such issues should be part of a longer-term roadmap for the international aviation industry?

That’s right.

IATA’s proposals aim at achieving higher trading efficiency, benefiting transport firms and passengers. ICAO, meanwhile, puts forth minimum requests to ensure safety in aviation and transportation.

Vietnam Airlines also has to satisfy private requests proposed by aviation authorities in countries where it flies to. For example, work is underway to implement the Federal Aviation Administration’s requests to fly to the US.

Will prices to the EU be raised if Vietnam Airlines satisfies the EU’s requests?

Change to ticket price will be minimised as Vietnam Airlines is determined to set up an emission control system in accordance with the EU’s environmental standards (If the EU did not impose an emissions quota on aviation, it would have to pay an additional sum of USD 10 million a year).

At present, Vietnam Airlines lacks the information to calculate how ticket prices may change to the EU in 2012. Measures are being taken to reduce CO2 emissions and save fuel as Vietnam Airlines has purchased new Boeing and Airbus aircraft, including B787-789, or A350. By doing so, we’ll limit an increase in ticket prices in the years to come.

What difficulties do Vietnam Airlines face?

First of all, I would like to emphasize that the "Greenhouse" goal is a worthy one, as it works for us today and in the future. Though the given requests are tough we have no alternative other than compliance.

To this end, Vietnam Airlines has returned old ATR76-200 airplanes and will start using the new generation of ATR72-500 by the end of 2010. It has also purchased new Boeing and Airbus aircraft.

Efforts have also being exerted to continuously set up and maintain fuel savings since 2008. The programme helped the aviation industry save more than VND400 billion ($22million) last year. More importantly, it has reduced aviation emissions.

Vietnam Airlines is intensifying its effort to develop a monitoring programme for emission required by EU.

How does the EU cap aviation emissions on aircraft flying to its market? What is the existing aviation emissions level of Vietnam Airlines?

The EU does not cap aviation emissions for each aircraft. Instead it sets out total emissions for each airline departing for the EU.

Total emissions in 2005 were the baseline used to calculate total emissions for 2012, 2013-2020 (It is the average sum of total emissions of 2004’s, 2005’s and 2006’s). Specifically, the EU will cap total emissions for 2012 equal to 97 per cent of 2005’s total emissions. The yearly figure will be 95 per cent of 2005’s total emissions during 2013-20.

Annual aviation emissions of Vietnam Airlines aircraft to the EU is about 450,000 tonnes of C02, not including air travel to Russia and Switzerland because the two countries are beyond the adjustment of the EU on the issue.

How the frequency of Vietnam Airlines aircraft to the EU at present?

We provide four return flights to France, and three return flights to Germany a week.

What does Vietnam Airlines want to propose to the EU regarding the control of aviation emissions and fuel?

Currently, only the EU has issued regulations to collect aviation emissions fees from airlines, starting from departure airports (for example, from Ha Noi airport or from Ho Chi Minh City airport). Therefore, if Viet Nam and the Asian region as a whole can issue a common law like the EU it is possible to share and re-collect the fee in Asia.

Vietnam Airlines would like the EU to take the issue into consideration to cut fees for aviation emissions between Europe and Asia. The issue was proposed to the Direction Generale de l’Aviation Civile but has not yet approved.