WASHINGTON DC: The US's economic crisis is jeopardising airline attempts to become more environmentally-friendly, Air Transport Association (ATA) president and chief executive James May has warned.
In his foreword to ATA's 2008 Economic Report, May says America's airlines are "profoundly committed" to environmental improvements, but are running out of cash to pay for eco-projects. Future investments in research and development, he says, "are no longer as certain as they seemed even just a few months ago... this harsh fi nancial climate, and the threat of more costly fees and taxes on air transportation, creates a far darker prospect for further shrinking aviation's environmental footprint."
According to the ATA report, US airlines emitted 11.2 billion fewer pounds of carbon dioxide in 2007 than in 2000, carrying 20.4 per cent more traffic but using nearly three per cent less fuel.