More than half of the aviation sector participants in emissions trading in Germany have now submitted the required monitoring schemes for recording their annual CO₂ emissions and transport data to the German Emissions Trading Authority. Establishing contact with aircraft operators - whether large air carriers or the amateur or business flyer - often proved difficult initially, especially since the smaller operators were not aware that they were affected. Many non-European carriers, unfamiliar with EU directives, had to be made aware of the topic. “We are satisfied with the feedback received as we can now account for nearly 97 percent of total CO₂ emissions from air traffic,“ said Dr. Hans-Jürgen Nantke, Head of the German Emissions Trading Authority (DEHSt) at the Federal Environment Agency (UBA). “It also pleases us that participation is so high among non-European airlines.“

Emissions trading for the aviation sector starts in 2012, yet air carriers must already reports on annual emissions and transport data to DEHSt as of 2010. Reports are based on monitoring schemes that had to be submitted by 20 October 2009 and are now under review for approval by the Federal Environment Agency. According to the European Commission’s List of Administering Member States, DEHSt is in charge of 326 aircraft operators in total. To date, 135 aircraft operators- including all the larger airlines- have submitted their monitoring schemes to DEHSt. Aircraft operators can be exempted from their obligation to submit monitoring schemes and reports if they meet the requirements stipulated in the Data Collection Ordinance (Datenerhebungsverordnung 2020 - DEV 2020). This may be the case if the maximum allowable aircraft take-off weight is below a certain threshold. DEHSt has thusfar received 56 such requests for exemption.

Any party which has not yet submitted either a monitoring scheme or a request for exemption is nevertheless obliged to do so, for any and all operators whose aircraft take off or land in European Union territory must engage in emissions trading. This regulation applies to both commercial airlines as well as operators of private aircraft and business jets. DEHSt has extended a grace period to these operators, as per the Data Collection Ordinance 2020.

The German Emissions Trading Authority (DEHSt) at the Federal Environment Agency is the national public office in charge of implementation of European emissions trading for stationary installations and for the aviation sector. Their mandate includes allocation and issuance of emissions certificates, review of emissions reports, and administration of the emissions trading registry.