Brussels, 18/11/2008 (Agence Europe) - In The Hague on Friday 14 November, the Association of European Airlines (AEA) accepted the greenhouse gas emissions trading scheme (ETS). They stressed, however, that including aviation in the scheme in 2012 could not be done without implementing the Single European Sky programme (to modernise air traffic management in Europe). “We cannot imagine our lives without an adequate infrastructure for cell phones, roads and electricity - or indeed our economy without a sustainable aviation infrastructure,” said AEA Chairman and KLM President and CEO Peter Hartman in a press release. He went on: “Aviation is a staple requirement for European mobility, prosperity and jobs. Especially now, in the current severe economic downturn, the sustainability of European aviation is at stake”. In a declaration signed at The Hague, the AEA also emphasised that the ETS had to be global and not just regional, as in the current legislative text. (A.By./transl.rt)