
為什么要救助航空公司,?
航空業(yè)救助計(jì)劃實(shí)際上旨在拯救那些象征著民族自豪感的企業(yè)。但有些時(shí)候,,這些救助計(jì)劃也是一種政策工具,,其目的是促使這些國(guó)家航空公司進(jìn)行整頓,改善其環(huán)保性,。
法國(guó)和荷蘭政府針對(duì)法荷航集團(tuán)(Air France–KLM)的救助措施便采用了這種策略,。兩國(guó)政府分別斥資79億美元和38億美元。該交易要求法荷航集團(tuán)在2030年之前,,將每乘客公里的二氧化碳排放量較2005年減少一半,。而且在有更環(huán)保的軌道交通可供乘客出行的地方,該航空公司應(yīng)該停飛這些短途航線,。
同樣,,在6月初,法國(guó)政府斥資168億美元救助本國(guó)航空業(yè)時(shí),,也要求將其中十分之一的資金用于加快在2035年之前開發(fā)碳中和的氫動(dòng)力飛機(jī),。
各界普遍呼吁在特殊時(shí)期過后要實(shí)現(xiàn)綠色經(jīng)濟(jì)復(fù)蘇,并且警告如果各國(guó)對(duì)這些呼聲置之不理將會(huì)發(fā)生環(huán)境災(zāi)難,。法國(guó)和荷蘭正是在這種背景下做出了這些舉措,。
“一次獨(dú)一無(wú)二的機(jī)會(huì)”
國(guó)際能源署(IEA)兩周前發(fā)布了“可持續(xù)經(jīng)濟(jì)復(fù)蘇計(jì)劃”。國(guó)際能源署署長(zhǎng)法提赫?比羅爾寫道:“政策制定者在設(shè)計(jì)經(jīng)濟(jì)復(fù)蘇計(jì)劃時(shí),,必須在很短的時(shí)間內(nèi)做出具有重大影響的決定?,F(xiàn)在各國(guó)政府有一次獨(dú)一無(wú)二的機(jī)會(huì)促進(jìn)經(jīng)濟(jì)增長(zhǎng),創(chuàng)造數(shù)百萬(wàn)個(gè)新就業(yè)崗位,,使全球溫室氣體排放量結(jié)構(gòu)性下降,。”
麥肯錫公司(McKinsey & Co.)法蘭克福辦事處的合伙人豪克?恩格爾說(shuō):“現(xiàn)在我們面臨一場(chǎng)嚴(yán)重的社會(huì)和人道主義挑戰(zhàn),,但它對(duì)氣候行動(dòng)議程也有重要的意義:它將決定我們的氣候行動(dòng)向后退還是向前進(jìn),。”
恩格爾指出:“我們看到各國(guó)動(dòng)用了大量公帑”,,如果這些資金被用于當(dāng)前實(shí)際上被鎖定的“高碳排放的經(jīng)濟(jì)結(jié)構(gòu)”,,將會(huì)導(dǎo)致氣候行動(dòng)議程出現(xiàn)倒退。除此之外,,經(jīng)濟(jì)復(fù)蘇對(duì)公共債務(wù)的重大影響,,可能會(huì)減少政府未來(lái)應(yīng)對(duì)氣候變化的資金。
恩格爾表示:“它所傳達(dá)出的信息也非常重要,。許多利益相關(guān)者正在密切關(guān)注政治議程,,想知道氣候問題是否會(huì)成為只適合在順境中談?wù)摰脑掝},。綠色經(jīng)濟(jì)刺激計(jì)劃能夠產(chǎn)生乘數(shù)效應(yīng):一方面使公共資金得到充分利用,同時(shí)還可以向私營(yíng)行業(yè)強(qiáng)調(diào)氣候的重要性,?!?
“為什么要重建舊世界?”
綠色經(jīng)濟(jì)復(fù)蘇現(xiàn)象在歐洲最為明顯,。歐盟委員會(huì)的《綠色協(xié)議》計(jì)劃在2050年之前實(shí)現(xiàn)凈零排放,。歐盟當(dāng)前針對(duì)該協(xié)議制定的計(jì)劃與其特殊時(shí)期救助策略相吻合。
歐盟在5月公布了7,500億歐元(約合8,410億美元)經(jīng)濟(jì)復(fù)蘇計(jì)劃,,其中的400億歐元將用于幫助歐盟國(guó)家實(shí)現(xiàn)碳中和,。150億歐元農(nóng)村發(fā)展基金的目的之一是幫助農(nóng)民采用更環(huán)保的生產(chǎn)方式。另外,,其中核心的5,600億歐元投資和改革資金也附有綠色目標(biāo),,這筆資金將用于建筑與基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施翻新、可再生能源和氫能項(xiàng)目以及在歐盟地區(qū)部署100萬(wàn)個(gè)電動(dòng)汽車充電樁等項(xiàng)目,。
按照歐盟委員會(huì)副主席瑪格麗特?韋斯塔格在上周的說(shuō)法:“當(dāng)我們想要一個(gè)新世界的時(shí)候,為什么要去重建舊世界,?”
牛津大學(xué)(Oxford University)一個(gè)團(tuán)隊(duì)的最新研究結(jié)果顯示,,綠色經(jīng)濟(jì)刺激計(jì)劃所帶來(lái)的短期和長(zhǎng)期回報(bào),遠(yuǎn)高于傳統(tǒng)經(jīng)濟(jì)刺激措施,。該項(xiàng)分析主要以上一次金融危機(jī)期間各國(guó)推出的經(jīng)濟(jì)刺激計(jì)劃為基礎(chǔ),,其中包括中國(guó)的高鐵建設(shè),以及歐洲,、加拿大和澳大利亞的建筑能效項(xiàng)目等,。
該項(xiàng)研究的主要作者、牛津大學(xué)史密斯企業(yè)與環(huán)境學(xué)院(Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment)院長(zhǎng)卡梅隆?赫伯恩說(shuō):“這一次危機(jī)與上一次金融危機(jī)的區(qū)別在于,,相比于救市計(jì)劃的性質(zhì),,更重要的是政府做好了準(zhǔn)備并且正在大規(guī)模地展開救助?!?
赫伯恩強(qiáng)調(diào)德國(guó)政府的1,300億歐元經(jīng)濟(jì)刺激計(jì)劃中,,將400億歐元專門用于氣候相關(guān)支出,例如提供電動(dòng)汽車購(gòu)車補(bǔ)貼(德國(guó)和法國(guó)均拒絕補(bǔ)貼化石燃料汽車),、提高建筑能效和開發(fā)氫能基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施等,。
赫伯恩說(shuō):“我們現(xiàn)在所做的是,提前許多年進(jìn)行價(jià)值投資,。我們有充分的理由這樣做,,[但是]這意味著我們?cè)谖磥?lái)五年會(huì)減少這方面的投資?!?
所以現(xiàn)在真的是“機(jī)不可失,,失不再來(lái)”嗎,?赫伯恩認(rèn)為,這取決于經(jīng)濟(jì)復(fù)蘇需要多長(zhǎng)時(shí)間:“如果我們能快速實(shí)現(xiàn)復(fù)蘇,,沒錯(cuò),,現(xiàn)在就是機(jī)不可失。我預(yù)計(jì)實(shí)現(xiàn)經(jīng)濟(jì)復(fù)蘇有很長(zhǎng)的路要走,,所以,,很有可能會(huì)出現(xiàn)持續(xù)時(shí)間較長(zhǎng)、相對(duì)嚴(yán)重的經(jīng)濟(jì)衰退,。在這種情況下,,‘當(dāng)前的時(shí)機(jī)’不是三個(gè)月,而是可能在一年或者一年半的時(shí)間里都需要政府干預(yù),?!?
然而,并非所有人都贊同經(jīng)濟(jì)復(fù)蘇資金與環(huán)境目標(biāo)掛鉤,。
交換條件
雖然對(duì)法荷航集團(tuán)的救助計(jì)劃附有明確的環(huán)保條件,,但漢莎航空(Lufthansa)股東在上周四批準(zhǔn)的90億歐元政府救助資金卻不能附加這樣的條件。
德國(guó)政府堅(jiān)稱該筆交易有“明確的環(huán)境要求”,,并對(duì)《財(cái)富》雜志表示,,漢莎航空“已經(jīng)承諾履行其環(huán)境和生態(tài)責(zé)任,因此在經(jīng)濟(jì)條件允許的情況下,,漢莎航空將對(duì)機(jī)隊(duì)進(jìn)行更新?lián)Q代,,以減少排放?!钡聡?guó)政府還表示,,漢莎航空將努力開發(fā)替代燃油。但這與法國(guó)和荷蘭的做法有很大的區(qū)別,。法國(guó)和荷蘭直接告訴航空公司應(yīng)該停飛哪條路線,,并堅(jiān)持提出明確的減排目標(biāo)。
一位德國(guó)政府發(fā)言人說(shuō):“為了推進(jìn)氣候保護(hù),,尤其適合采用能夠?qū)φ麄€(gè)行業(yè)以及在國(guó)際上發(fā)揮重要作用的手段,。
OAG的高級(jí)航空業(yè)分析師約翰?格蘭特表示:“德國(guó)采用的救助方式更主要的是允許航空公司通過自身的管理流程來(lái)實(shí)現(xiàn)公司制定的可持續(xù)發(fā)展目標(biāo)。對(duì)每一家航空公司來(lái)說(shuō),,可持續(xù)性和環(huán)保事業(yè)依舊排在公司目標(biāo)的前列,,但最重要的是生存下去。未來(lái)他們會(huì)開始重新去做這些值得稱贊的事情,?!?
格蘭特認(rèn)為,法國(guó)航空救助計(jì)劃所附的條件考慮不周,因?yàn)槿绻丝筒幌氤俗L(zhǎng)的火車出行,,他們可以選擇其他國(guó)家的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手,,比如英國(guó)航空(British Airways),其原因是外國(guó)航空公司沒有義務(wù)停飛法國(guó)的航線,。他說(shuō):“這只是在自擺烏龍,。”
格蘭特補(bǔ)充道:“每一家航空公司的首要任務(wù)是穩(wěn)定其網(wǎng)絡(luò)和收入,?!?
但牛津大學(xué)的赫伯恩并不認(rèn)同這種觀點(diǎn)。他說(shuō):“對(duì)航空業(yè)的大部分救助計(jì)劃都沒有附上任何條件,,我認(rèn)為這是在錯(cuò)失良機(jī),。”
“航空公司既然要獲得大量公共資金,,自然應(yīng)該以實(shí)現(xiàn)公共目標(biāo)作為交換條件,。”(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:Biz
為什么要救助航空公司,?
航空業(yè)救助計(jì)劃實(shí)際上旨在拯救那些象征著民族自豪感的企業(yè),。但有些時(shí)候,這些救助計(jì)劃也是一種政策工具,,其目的是促使這些國(guó)家航空公司進(jìn)行整頓,,改善其環(huán)保性。
法國(guó)和荷蘭政府針對(duì)法荷航集團(tuán)(Air France–KLM)的救助措施便采用了這種策略,。兩國(guó)政府分別斥資79億美元和38億美元。該交易要求法荷航集團(tuán)在2030年之前,,將每乘客公里的二氧化碳排放量較2005年減少一半,。而且在有更環(huán)保的軌道交通可供乘客出行的地方,該航空公司應(yīng)該停飛這些短途航線,。
同樣,,在6月初,法國(guó)政府斥資168億美元救助本國(guó)航空業(yè)時(shí),,也要求將其中十分之一的資金用于加快在2035年之前開發(fā)碳中和的氫動(dòng)力飛機(jī),。
各界普遍呼吁在特殊時(shí)期過后要實(shí)現(xiàn)綠色經(jīng)濟(jì)復(fù)蘇,并且警告如果各國(guó)對(duì)這些呼聲置之不理將會(huì)發(fā)生環(huán)境災(zāi)難,。法國(guó)和荷蘭正是在這種背景下做出了這些舉措,。
“一次獨(dú)一無(wú)二的機(jī)會(huì)”
國(guó)際能源署(IEA)兩周前發(fā)布了“可持續(xù)經(jīng)濟(jì)復(fù)蘇計(jì)劃”。國(guó)際能源署署長(zhǎng)法提赫?比羅爾寫道:“政策制定者在設(shè)計(jì)經(jīng)濟(jì)復(fù)蘇計(jì)劃時(shí),,必須在很短的時(shí)間內(nèi)做出具有重大影響的決定?,F(xiàn)在各國(guó)政府有一次獨(dú)一無(wú)二的機(jī)會(huì)促進(jìn)經(jīng)濟(jì)增長(zhǎng),創(chuàng)造數(shù)百萬(wàn)個(gè)新就業(yè)崗位,使全球溫室氣體排放量結(jié)構(gòu)性下降,?!?
麥肯錫公司(McKinsey & Co.)法蘭克福辦事處的合伙人豪克?恩格爾說(shuō):“現(xiàn)在我們面臨一場(chǎng)嚴(yán)重的社會(huì)和人道主義挑戰(zhàn),但它對(duì)氣候行動(dòng)議程也有重要的意義:它將決定我們的氣候行動(dòng)向后退還是向前進(jìn),?!?
恩格爾指出:“我們看到各國(guó)動(dòng)用了大量公帑”,如果這些資金被用于當(dāng)前實(shí)際上被鎖定的“高碳排放的經(jīng)濟(jì)結(jié)構(gòu)”,,將會(huì)導(dǎo)致氣候行動(dòng)議程出現(xiàn)倒退,。除此之外,經(jīng)濟(jì)復(fù)蘇對(duì)公共債務(wù)的重大影響,,可能會(huì)減少政府未來(lái)應(yīng)對(duì)氣候變化的資金,。
恩格爾表示:“它所傳達(dá)出的信息也非常重要。許多利益相關(guān)者正在密切關(guān)注政治議程,,想知道氣候問題是否會(huì)成為只適合在順境中談?wù)摰脑掝},。綠色經(jīng)濟(jì)刺激計(jì)劃能夠產(chǎn)生乘數(shù)效應(yīng):一方面使公共資金得到充分利用,同時(shí)還可以向私營(yíng)行業(yè)強(qiáng)調(diào)氣候的重要性,?!?
“為什么要重建舊世界?”
綠色經(jīng)濟(jì)復(fù)蘇現(xiàn)象在歐洲最為明顯,。歐盟委員會(huì)的《綠色協(xié)議》計(jì)劃在2050年之前實(shí)現(xiàn)凈零排放,。歐盟當(dāng)前針對(duì)該協(xié)議制定的計(jì)劃與其特殊時(shí)期救助策略相吻合。
歐盟在5月公布了7,500億歐元(約合8,410億美元)經(jīng)濟(jì)復(fù)蘇計(jì)劃,,其中的400億歐元將用于幫助歐盟國(guó)家實(shí)現(xiàn)碳中和,。150億歐元農(nóng)村發(fā)展基金的目的之一是幫助農(nóng)民采用更環(huán)保的生產(chǎn)方式。另外,,其中核心的5,600億歐元投資和改革資金也附有綠色目標(biāo),,這筆資金將用于建筑與基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施翻新、可再生能源和氫能項(xiàng)目以及在歐盟地區(qū)部署100萬(wàn)個(gè)電動(dòng)汽車充電樁等項(xiàng)目,。
按照歐盟委員會(huì)副主席瑪格麗特?韋斯塔格在上周的說(shuō)法:“當(dāng)我們想要一個(gè)新世界的時(shí)候,,為什么要去重建舊世界?”
牛津大學(xué)(Oxford University)一個(gè)團(tuán)隊(duì)的最新研究結(jié)果顯示,,綠色經(jīng)濟(jì)刺激計(jì)劃所帶來(lái)的短期和長(zhǎng)期回報(bào),,遠(yuǎn)高于傳統(tǒng)經(jīng)濟(jì)刺激措施。該項(xiàng)分析主要以上一次金融危機(jī)期間各國(guó)推出的經(jīng)濟(jì)刺激計(jì)劃為基礎(chǔ),,其中包括中國(guó)的高鐵建設(shè),,以及歐洲、加拿大和澳大利亞的建筑能效項(xiàng)目等,。
該項(xiàng)研究的主要作者,、牛津大學(xué)史密斯企業(yè)與環(huán)境學(xué)院(Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment)院長(zhǎng)卡梅隆?赫伯恩說(shuō):“這一次危機(jī)與上一次金融危機(jī)的區(qū)別在于,相比于救市計(jì)劃的性質(zhì),更重要的是政府做好了準(zhǔn)備并且正在大規(guī)模地展開救助,?!?
赫伯恩強(qiáng)調(diào)德國(guó)政府的1,300億歐元經(jīng)濟(jì)刺激計(jì)劃中,將400億歐元專門用于氣候相關(guān)支出,,例如提供電動(dòng)汽車購(gòu)車補(bǔ)貼(德國(guó)和法國(guó)均拒絕補(bǔ)貼化石燃料汽車),、提高建筑能效和開發(fā)氫能基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施等。
赫伯恩說(shuō):“我們現(xiàn)在所做的是,,提前許多年進(jìn)行價(jià)值投資,。我們有充分的理由這樣做,[但是]這意味著我們?cè)谖磥?lái)五年會(huì)減少這方面的投資,?!?
所以現(xiàn)在真的是“機(jī)不可失,失不再來(lái)”嗎,?赫伯恩認(rèn)為,,這取決于經(jīng)濟(jì)復(fù)蘇需要多長(zhǎng)時(shí)間:“如果我們能快速實(shí)現(xiàn)復(fù)蘇,沒錯(cuò),,現(xiàn)在就是機(jī)不可失,。我預(yù)計(jì)實(shí)現(xiàn)經(jīng)濟(jì)復(fù)蘇有很長(zhǎng)的路要走,所以,,很有可能會(huì)出現(xiàn)持續(xù)時(shí)間較長(zhǎng),、相對(duì)嚴(yán)重的經(jīng)濟(jì)衰退。在這種情況下,,‘當(dāng)前的時(shí)機(jī)’不是三個(gè)月,,而是可能在一年或者一年半的時(shí)間里都需要政府干預(yù)?!?
然而,,并非所有人都贊同經(jīng)濟(jì)復(fù)蘇資金與環(huán)境目標(biāo)掛鉤。
交換條件
雖然對(duì)法荷航集團(tuán)的救助計(jì)劃附有明確的環(huán)保條件,,但漢莎航空(Lufthansa)股東在上周四批準(zhǔn)的90億歐元政府救助資金卻不能附加這樣的條件。
德國(guó)政府堅(jiān)稱該筆交易有“明確的環(huán)境要求”,,并對(duì)《財(cái)富》雜志表示,,漢莎航空“已經(jīng)承諾履行其環(huán)境和生態(tài)責(zé)任,因此在經(jīng)濟(jì)條件允許的情況下,,漢莎航空將對(duì)機(jī)隊(duì)進(jìn)行更新?lián)Q代,,以減少排放?!钡聡?guó)政府還表示,,漢莎航空將努力開發(fā)替代燃油。但這與法國(guó)和荷蘭的做法有很大的區(qū)別。法國(guó)和荷蘭直接告訴航空公司應(yīng)該停飛哪條路線,,并堅(jiān)持提出明確的減排目標(biāo),。
一位德國(guó)政府發(fā)言人說(shuō):“為了推進(jìn)氣候保護(hù),尤其適合采用能夠?qū)φ麄€(gè)行業(yè)以及在國(guó)際上發(fā)揮重要作用的手段,。
OAG的高級(jí)航空業(yè)分析師約翰?格蘭特表示:“德國(guó)采用的救助方式更主要的是允許航空公司通過自身的管理流程來(lái)實(shí)現(xiàn)公司制定的可持續(xù)發(fā)展目標(biāo),。對(duì)每一家航空公司來(lái)說(shuō),可持續(xù)性和環(huán)保事業(yè)依舊排在公司目標(biāo)的前列,,但最重要的是生存下去,。未來(lái)他們會(huì)開始重新去做這些值得稱贊的事情?!?
格蘭特認(rèn)為,,法國(guó)航空救助計(jì)劃所附的條件考慮不周,因?yàn)槿绻丝筒幌氤俗L(zhǎng)的火車出行,,他們可以選擇其他國(guó)家的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手,,比如英國(guó)航空(British Airways),其原因是外國(guó)航空公司沒有義務(wù)停飛法國(guó)的航線,。他說(shuō):“這只是在自擺烏龍,。”
格蘭特補(bǔ)充道:“每一家航空公司的首要任務(wù)是穩(wěn)定其網(wǎng)絡(luò)和收入,?!?
但牛津大學(xué)的赫伯恩并不認(rèn)同這種觀點(diǎn)。他說(shuō):“對(duì)航空業(yè)的大部分救助計(jì)劃都沒有附上任何條件,,我認(rèn)為這是在錯(cuò)失良機(jī),。”
“航空公司既然要獲得大量公共資金,,自然應(yīng)該以實(shí)現(xiàn)公共目標(biāo)作為交換條件,。”(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:Biz
What is an airline bailout for?
By nature, the bailouts are rescue packages designed to save businesses that are often symbols of national pride, at a time when the coronavirus pandemic has placed the aviation sector in mortal peril. But in some cases they are also policy tools, wielded to make these flag carriers shape up and improve their environmental ways.
This is the tack the French and Dutch governments are taking in their bailout measures—comprising $7.9 billion and $3.8 billion, respectively—for Air France–KLM. The deals will force Air France and KLM to halve their CO2 emissions per passenger kilometer by 2030, compared with 2005 levels. Short-haul routes will need to be cut where more environmentally friendly rail connections can take people where they need to go instead.
Similarly, when the French government stumped up $16.8 billion for the country’s aerospace sector earlier June, it insisted that a tenth of the package be spent on speeding up the development of a carbon-neutral, hydrogen-powered plane by 2035.
The French and Dutch moves come against the backdrop of widespread calls for a green pandemic recovery—and warnings of environmental disaster if those calls are not heeded.
‘A unique opportunity’
“As they design economic recovery plans, policymakers are having to make enormously consequential decisions in a very short space of time,” wrote Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, as the IEA presented a “sustainable recovery plan” two weeks ago. “Governments have a unique opportunity today to boost economic growth, create millions of new jobs, and put global greenhouse gas emissions into structural decline.”
“The COVID crisis is a massive societal and humanitarian challenge, but it is a pivotal moment for the climate agenda: We will either see a step back or a jump forward,” says Hauke Engel, a partner at McKinsey & Co.’s Frankfurt office.
As Engel points out, “We are seeing an extraordinary mobilization of public money” that could set back the climate agenda if it is spent on “high-carbon economic structures” that effectively lock in the status quo. On top of that, the recovery’s enormous impact on public debt could leave governments less money for fighting climate change in the coming years.
“The message it sends is also important,” Hauke says. “Many stakeholders are closely monitoring the political agenda, to see if the climate is a fair-weather topic. You could get a multiplier effect from green stimulus: You spend the public money well, but also reinforce to the private sector that the climate is important.”
‘Why rebuild the old world?’
The green-recovery phenomenon is most obvious in Europe, where the European Commission’s existing plan for a “Green Deal”—aiming for net-zero emissions by 2050—has dovetailed with the EU’s new coronavirus rescue strategy.
The EU’s 750 billion–euro ($841 billion) recovery package, announced in May, includes 40 billion euros to help EU countries go climate-neutral. A 15 billion–euro rural-development boost is partly aimed at helping farmers get greener, and the package’s core 560 billion euros for investments and reforms is also bound to green objectives, with cash flowing to building and infrastructure renovation, renewable and hydrogen energy projects, and the deployment of a million electric-vehicle charging points across the region.
In the words of Commission Vice President Margrethe Vestager last week: “Why rebuild the old world, when we wanted a new one?”
According to a recent study from a team at Oxford University, green stimulus delivers higher short- and long-term returns than conventional stimulus measures. This analysis is mostly based on stimulus packages delivered in the last financial crisis, which fed into high-speed train rollouts in China and building-efficiency programs in Europe, Canada, and Australia.
“The difference between this time and last time is it’s less in terms of the nature of the ideas, and more the fact that governments are ready and are doing it at scale,” says Cameron Hepburn, the Oxford study’s lead author and director of the university’s Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment.
Hepburn highlights the German government’s earmarking of 40 billion euros, out of a 130 billion–euro stimulus package, for climate-related spending such as subsidies for electric-vehicle purchases (both Germany and France are refusing to subsidize fossil-fuel–powered cars), making buildings more energy-efficient, and developing hydrogen infrastructure.
“What we’re doing is bringing forward many years’ worth of investment,” says Hepburn. “We’re doing it now, for good reasons, [but] what that does mean is that we’ll be doing less of it in five years’ time.”
So is it really a case of now or never? Hepburn says that depends on how long the recovery takes: “If…we’re having a quick recovery, then yes, it is now or never. My expectation is we’re nowhere near done yet, and, if so, then there is a risk of a fairly long and relatively deep recession. In which case the ‘now’ is not three months—it could be a year or a year and a half of intervention.”
However, there is not universal approval for recovery cash being linked to environmental goals.
Quid pro quo
While the Air France–KLM bailouts come with bright green strings attached, the same cannot be said for the German government’s 9 billion–euro bailout of Lufthansa, which shareholders approved last Thursday.
The German government insists that the deal does come with “clear environmental requirements,” telling Fortune that Lufthansa has “committed to fulfill its environmental and ecological responsibility and will therefore, in particular, renew its fleet in order to reduce emissions, provided the economic conditions allow it.” It also says the carrier will work harder on the development of alternative fuels. But that’s a far cry from telling Lufthansa which routes it should cut and insisting on clear carbon-reduction goals, as the French and Dutch did.
“In order to advance climate protection, instruments that function as far as possible on an industrywide and international scale are particularly suitable,” a government spokesperson said.
“In Germany the approach appears to be more around allowing airlines to meet their own sustainability objectives through their own management processes,” says John Grant, a senior aviation analyst at OAG. “For every airline, sustainability and environmental credentials remain high on their list of objectives and ambitions, but the most important thing is survival. They will begin to return to those commendable things in the future.”
Grant argues that the conditions attached to the Air France bailout are not well thought through, because people who want to avoid a lengthy rail journey will just be able to turn to the carrier’s foreign competitors, such as British Airways, which are not obliged to cut their routes within France. “You’re just scoring an own goal,” he says.
“The first thing every airline needs to do is stabilize its network and revenues,” Grant adds.
Oxford University’s Hepburn disagrees. “For the most part, the aviation bailouts have not had conditions attached to them, which I think is a significant missed opportunity,” he says.
“When you’re going to get a lot of public money, it makes sense for public objectives to be the quid pro quo.”