Swedish Supreme Court sets Stockholm-Arlanda’s emissions cap

In a previous ruling, the Environmental Court of Appeal moved the date when the emissions cap would become an absolute limit to January 1, 2016, provided that LFV submit an application for a new environmental permit by no later than the end of 2010. However, this link between the change in terms and the application was disallowed on formal grounds by the Supreme Court of Sweden, which means that the emissions cap will be in force as early as 2011.

For Stockholm-Arlanda, the ruling involves no major difference at present. LFV has been working since 2008 on an application for an entirely new environmental permit, and the goal is still to submit it at the end of the year. In this permit application, the emissions cap will be examined as a whole, which for formal reasons was not possible in the case before the Supreme Court.

The airport’s emissions are below the 1990 level and are expected to remain so for years to come. However, in the long term, this may be a problem because the legal permit process will take a number of years with court proceedings and appeals. During this period, the present emissions cap remains in effect.

“We are currently below 1990 emissions levels, but we continue to work on our application for a new environmental permit. However, in a few years, when the demand for air travel is expected to increase again, today’s ruling may be a problem for international access for the Stockholm region,” says Jan Lindqvist, Head of Corporate Communication at LFV Stockholm-Arlanda.

(c) Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation. Date posted: 26-Feb-10