Boeing has joined forces with rival aircraft manufacturer Airbus in criticising the controversial European Union emissions trading scheme (ETS).
The two aviation giants have joined a growing number of nations that have also expressed concerns about the scheme and threatened to take retaliatory measures against the EU.
At an airline industry meeting in Geneva yesterday, Airbus CEO Tom Enders, stated that the Chinese have frozen orders for several planes worth up to US$14 billion, putting up to 2,000 jobs at risk.
Enders said a carbon trade war would be "very damaging" and called for ETS to be suspended for "a year or two" to allow a global system of dealing with carbon emissions to be agreed.
"It’s appalling to see with what stubornness the European Commission insists on ETS,” said Enders. “It will do nothing but induce strife, conflict, fragmentation of international air traffic, retaliation and counter retaliations.”
Boeing CEO Jim Albaugh added: "It is not about Boeing and Airbus; it is about what is best for our customers and how we are going to get the whole industry to reduce its environmental footprint.
“I don’t think the European ETS approach is the right one. We need to have a standstill on this and work with ICAO and get some international rules in place that everyone can sign up to."
So far, China has prohibited its airlines from participating in the ETS , while India is contemplating making a similar move. South Africa has also expressed its discontent alongside the US and Russia.
Read Stanley Slaughter's analysis on the impact of ETS by clicking here