Bmibaby Announcement - Silver Linings Come With Global Rain Clouds

Friends of the Earth Cymru have responded to the Bmibaby announcement with a call to the First Minister to support an international tax on aviation fuel at next month's Earth Summit in Johannesburg.

Neil Crumpton, transport spokesperson for the group said:

"The silver lining of the Bmibaby announcement does bring with it some growing dark clouds. Air travel, which is rising rapidly, releases significant amounts of global warming gases. And global warming is costing everyone around the world.

Growth in air travel is unchecked because there are no fuel taxes on aviation fuel. This gives airlines an unfair advantage over more environmentally friendly forms of travel particularly high speed rail and ferry services to short-haul destinations. So, lo-cost flights damage jobs in other service sectors.

Emissions from rail are at least three times less than aircraft and each passenger on a return flight to Florida is equivalent to a year's emissions OF the UK average motorist.

The Welsh Assembly Government supported the Bmibaby bid, so they should now at least support an international tax on aviation fuel which has been proposed for some time. To this end, we call on First Minister Rhodri Morgan to call for an international aviation fuel tax at next month's Earth Summit in Johannesburg. Such a call befits the country with a world-leading legal duty to promote sustainable development.

Also, at a regional level, the increasing passenger numbers now make it imperative that the Assembly ensures that hi-quality direct public transport services to the airport are put in place rapidly."