'Flight game is not a fair fight' says Varwijk
Other industries are far bigger polluters but the politicians win votes by coming down hardest on aviation sector, KLM executive Erik Varwijk tells Toby Green
Related articles
The aviation industry has been unfairly attacked over its environmental record and singled out despite other industries being more egregious polluters, a managing director at Dutch airline KLM has claimed.
Speaking to The Independent, Erik Varwijk said airlines faced more attention than the shipping industry whose CO2 emissions are higher. Environmentalists' criticism of aviation's emissions record has hit the industry hard, most notably preventing expansion at Heathrow, which is full to the brim as it processes 65 million international passengers a year.
Mr Varwijk said: "I honestly think our industry has come under unfairattack. It's interesting... that the aviation sector is much more visible and gets much more criticism, whereas for example the shipping industry is polluting much more.
"If you look at what ships do in terms of CO2 emissions it's incredible, but the general public is not aware."
While emissions from aviation are estimated to make up around 2 per cent of global CO2 emissions, the shipping industry is believed to account for between 3 and 4 per cent. Yet airlines face more pressure, claimed Mr Varwijk, because "shipping is not as interesting in a political debate as aviation is".
He added: "Aviation is consumer and consumer is voters, and voters is interesting stuff. That makes you sometimes a bit cynical [about the criticism], but that's the way it is."
While Mr Varwijk believes airlines should do their fair share in terms of contributing to a cleaner aviation sector, he also called for greater pressure on the plane manufacturers to make environmental improvements, saying they were using the best craft that were currently available.
The latest battleground in the fight between the industry and environmental campaigners is the debate over the third runway at Heathrow, whose position as the world's leading international hub is under serious threat from Dubai. It emerged at the weekend that Heathrow owner BAA is threatening to sue the Government for ruling out another runway, which many aviation experts consider vital to ensure that the airport is not overtaken by the likes of Frankfurt, Charles de Gaulle in Paris and Schipol in Amsterdam.
However, Mr Varwijk, pictured right, said he believed the issues of the environment and developing aviation infrastructure "don't necessarily fight with each other – there are green ways to grow". He added: "I certainly believe in green solutions for the aviation sector, which are necessary because it is not realistic to assume there will not be aviation in the future.
"I think aviation is a crucial sector of any society, but you need to do it as responsibly as possible."
KLM is part of the Air France-KLM group, which is finding times tough despite being Europe's second biggest flag-carrier by revenue. Currently locked in talks with unions over its major cost-cutting plans, last year the company suffered an operating loss of €353m and its start to the new financial year has been worse than expected.
While record fuel costs have hit hard, the current economic climate has not helped but Mr Varwijk – who said he was "convinced" demand for aviation will continue to rise, just not at the pace of the past three decades – highlighted KLM's focus on emerging markets as the reason for his cautious optimism.
In May the group restarted direct flights from Amsterdam to Zambia's capital Lusaka for the first time in 15 years, bringing its total number of destinations to 72. Havana and Rio de Janeiro have also recently been added to KLM's network.
Mr Varwijk also believes long immigration queues can be tackled withtechnology: "I think in five years immigration should not be a problem any more, because you should have the proper technology to identify customers quickly.
"And then either you go through or you don't. If you don't, you are then handled by an agent and you get questioned."
- 1 Massive stage collapse before Radiohead concert kills one
- 2 News in pictures
- 3 Leveson threatened to quit after public attack by Gove
- 4 In pictures: The bewildering face of China
- 5 Osborne: The people’s damning verdict
- 6 Ed Miliband: 'Cameron is the last gasp of the old guard'
- 7 Savers start a 'jog' on Europe's banks as Greece votes
- 8 For whom the bell tolls: £20m 'Memo' project takes shape on Dorset's Jurassic coast
- 9 Still standing: George Galloway reveals why his staunchly Leftist outlook is still invariably right
- 10 Aung San Suu Kyi: A lesson in the value of kindness
- 1 Massive stage collapse before Radiohead concert kills one
- 2 Patrick Cockburn: Greece's day of reckoning dawns in a climate of anger and uncertainty
- 3 The Blagger's Guide To: The best (and worst) fathers
- 4 We just click: How Lego keeps building on its success
- 5 Revealed: Harry Potter is the Antichrist!
- 6 The Leveson Inquiry: We're in this together!
- 7 Osborne: The people’s damning verdict
- 8 David Flatman: Over and out
- 9 Frank Zimmerman and me: The truth about the troll who tormented Louise Mensch
- 10 Aung San Suu Kyi: A lesson in the value of kindness

Experience the Heineken Hub
Get free wi-fi and exclusive i content while you enjoy a tasty pint of Heineken at participating pubs.

Win a sumptuous three-night stay in Austria
Get away from it all in the fresh mountain air at the four-star Hotel Edelweiss & Gurgl.

Win a five-star foodie weekend to Liège
Spend two nights in gourmet heaven at a top hotel in the capital of French-speaking Belgium.

A home to be proud of with Halifax
Download the Halifax's brilliant, free new Home Finder app, and take all the pain out of finding your dream home

Playing a game-changing role during the Games
Cisco is providing the solutions for London 2012's complex IT needs.

Enter the latest Independent competitions
Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.

Business videos from commercial thought leaders
Watch the best in the business world give their insights into the world of business.
Career Services
Day In a Page

Still standing: George Galloway

Daniel Radcliffe as drug-taking Beatnik poet

Objets czar: David Usborne’s collection of myriad objects

World's richest woman: Gina Rinehart

Comments