First Choice revives carbon off-setting – but delays its contributions

First Choice is to go ahead with a revised carbon-offsetting scheme after putting the initiative on hold after the Government announced doubled of Air Passenger Duty from February.

The company will only be matching £1 for £1 donations for holidays departing after November 2007 rather than the summer peak when the scheme goes ahead in the spring.

First Choice originally announced at the ABTA Convention last month that it would be introducing an ‘opt-out’ scheme in which customers would be encouraged to pay £1 (50p for children) and it would match the contributions.

But following the APD hike announcement that tour operators are expected to retrospectively pay the tax for existing bookings, the company put the scheme on hold while it reviewed its position.

First Choice mainstream sector managing director Dermot Blastland said: “We have found ourselves in a ludicrous situation.

“We planned to introduce a scheme whereby the payments made by our customers and matched by First Choice would go into certified carbon offsetting schemes. These would negate a significant amount of the carbon offset by First Choice Airways.

“Instead this ridiculous tax, which will not be used for any environmental projects, has been imposed and has meant our plans have had to be delayed.

“We continue to support a sensible structured approach to carbon trading or off-setting. However, as a company we are expected to pay the Government between £4-5 million in retrospective APD.

“Regrettably, this means that we won’t be able to start matching customers’ payments on summer 2007 bookings.”

First Choice Mainstream customers will generate £21 million for the Government, yet the company estimates the total cost of offsetting emissions by First Choice customers is £7 million.

Should the Government change its mind and not charge the tax retrospectively, First Choice will start matching £1 for £1 on all bookings as originally planned.

The operator is working with Climate Care to identify suitable certified projects for the scheme and further details will be announced in the New Year.

In a separate project, the company is continuing with plans to be a launch partner of coolearth.org and will be investing in 2,000 hectares of rainforests that would otherwise be utilised for illegal logging, monoculture or beef cattle ranching.