Over 300,000 annual flights over Macedonia, pollution to be determined


National aviation institutions are prepared to meet the obligations that Macedonia and other members of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) have undertaken under the Carbon offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA).

There are over 300,000 annual flights over Macedonia and the amount of carbon emissions is the topic of Monday's workshop in Skopje, organized by ICAO and the Civil Aviation Agency (CAA).

Over 100 representatives from the aviation field in Europe are trained how to draft emission reports that are forwarded to ICAO.

CAA director Goran Jandreoski said the formula to establish the carbon emissions is complex, since it incorporates both civil and military aviation.

"There are over 300,000 annual flights over Macedonia and the aircraft types are familiar. Airlines will have an enormous challenge of achieving a certain target set by the industry. They will have to work on the improvement of their fleets, thus opening the room for research," said Jandreoski.

European Commission Director-General for Mobility and Transport Henrik Hololei highlighted the importance and benefits from the development of air traffic and networking with the European civil aviation market.

"We hold great responsibility, because 26 percent of the billion passengers that used air transport in 2017 were Europeans. Therefore, we need to be very careful regarding environmental challenges," added Hololei.

Minister of Transport and Communications Goran Sugareski said Macedonia remained a strategic partner in creating conditions for environmentally-sustainable development, observing regulations of global and European aviation authorities.

"The call for low-cost airlines, which is to be released next month, will focus on creating conditions for their operations. The Government's programme of state support is focused on securing more cheap flights from the Ohrid-based airport," underlined Sugareski.