Ryanair’s O’leary attacks EU shift on carbon levies

MICHAEL O’LEARY, the chief executive of Ryanair, has turned on EU leaders over their “inexplicable and indefensible” decision to block the introduction of green levies for passengers on long-haul flights. The Irish businessman condemned ministers from Germany, France and Spain for blocking the expansion of Europe’s emissions trading scheme (ETS) to longhaul flights departing the Continent.

Expanding the ETS scheme to longhaul flights had been backed by MEPS in the European Parliament. Ryanair said the Council of the European Union’s decision was undemocratic.

Mr O’leary continued: “These EU environment ministers have yet again failed their citizens today with their vote to preserve this broken environmental policy which, unless reversed, will enable the richest visitors to/from Europe travelling on the most polluting long-haul flights to evade any environmental taxes, while Europe’s hardpressed consumers and their families, pay an unfair burden of 100pc.”

The decision by EU leaders to block the policy favours long-haul carriers over short-haul specialists such as Ryanair, Europe’s biggest airline. The emissions trading scheme forces carriers to buy carbon credits to offset emissions over a certain level.

Ryanair claimed that 50pc of harmful emissions from the aviation sector were generated by long-haul flights.

Mr O’leary has criticised the UK over its decision to leave the European bloc.

“I will take the political downsides of the EU for the upsides of the single market,” he told the Telegraph last year. “I think in 10 years time, the UK will want to rejoin not necessarily the European Union, but the single market.”

However, he questioned what the EU would look then. “I’m not even sure whether there will be a European Union … But is a single market worth preserving? Absolutely.”