The president of the Union of French airports congratulates himself on franceinfo on Friday after Emmanuel Macron’s speech on the decarbonization of aviation.
“This presidential announcement is excellent for aviation”, comments Thomas June, president of the Union of French and French-speaking associated airports, director of La Rochelle airport, on Friday June 16 after Emmanuel Macron’s speech on the decarbonization of aviation. The President of the Republic promises 300 million euros each year until 2030 to develop the aeronautical sector and the installation of a factory in Lacq, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques.
franceinfo: With these announcements, these envelopes, are we giving ourselves the means to fulfill Emmanuel Macron’s ambition for green aviation?
Thomas June: We are going in the right direction. It was expected by the whole sector. We have already fallen behind what is happening in the world and in particular in the United States, which has already started this process with a bang. It was time, in fact, that in France we could change gear. This presidential announcement is excellent for aviation since finally we are projecting ourselves onto a truly new world and we are committing resources. Will this be enough? The future will tell. Above all, this fuel must be accessible at competitive prices so that French airlines and others can buy this fuel in France and not import it from abroad.
Are these fuels more expensive than conventional kerosene?
Yes, four to five times more expensive, so it’s not competitive. Even in the United States where this fuel is produced and benefits in particular from tax incentives, it is 2,000 euros per ton. In Europe and France, it’s 5,000 euros per tonne, so it’s not competitive. The sector really needs to develop this fuel and there is also a public policy, tax policy, which encourages the use of this fuel. For example, there are tax credits that are in place in the United States. And clearly, we will have to encourage companies to go even beyond the regulations. Without a massive use of this fuel, aviation will not decarbonize, so it is really the challenge of tomorrow.
Is the installation of a biofuel factory in Lacq, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, part of the construction of this sector which remains to be invented in France?
We are witnessing a turning point and a competition that will be established in Europe. Imagine that we are going to switch from kerosene to this fuel with issues of energy sovereignty. And so France really needs to accelerate in order not only to have energy sovereignty in this area, but above all to create a sector with significant employment issues in the years to come. The airline sector offers a tremendous opportunity to France.