On March 29, Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Transport and Regional Services Mark Vaile has announced a range of measures to reduce aviation greenhouse emissions to help combat climate change. Some of these measures have already commenced and others will be rolled out as soon as possible.

Minister Vaile said that these measures include: improved fuel efficiency through more flexible flight tracks, improved aircraft air traffic control sequencing to reduce fuel burn/emissions, more efficient runway use and continuous descent approaches which minimise speed changes. All these measures have strong environmental benefits.

The sequencing of aircraft programming into Australia began on March 26 and is already saving in excess of 9 tonnes of CO2 per day into Sydney alone. It is expected all these initiatives will reduce CO2 emissions by hundreds of thousands of tonnes per annum.

These measures will be implemented by Airservices Australia, Australian Government's air traffic services provider, and they will continue to work in partnership with the airlines to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Mr Vaile, speaking as chair of the APEC Transport Ministers meeting in Adelaide, said he hopes to work with his APEC Ministerial colleagues on co-operative approaches within APEC to achieve reductions in greenhouse gas emissions as well.

"Australia supports a global approach to aviation emissions reduction through the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

"Australia is concerned that the European Commission (outside of the ICAO process) is moving to unilaterally implement its own separate measure which would impose a scheme for an emissions cap and trading scheme which would apply to all aircraft flying into and out of Europe.

"This means that aircraft flying, for example, from Sydney to London would be taxed under the European scheme which places an unfair burden on long haul carriers given that most flights in Europe are much shorter distances.

The APEC Transport Ministers meeting involves 21 APEC economies and is also focussing on safety, security, trade liberalisation and facilitation in the transport sector.