Air France started trading on Bluenext, the international exchange for the environment

Bluenext and Air France are pleased to announce that Air France started trading on Bluenext spot as trading member on January 12th becoming the 108th member of Bluenext.

From January 1st 2012 all airlines flying to and from Europe will be required to cover their carbon dioxide emissions. Air France is the first airline to register for trading in emission rights directly on Bluenext.  Air France has thoroughly prepared for its compliance and this membership is a new expression of its long-lasting environmental commitment.

The airline industry is the largest “industry” after the utility sector joining the European trading scheme. This is a landmark in the development of the Carbon trading industry in Europe.

About BlueNext

BlueNext is the international exchange for the environment, operating markets in carbon emission allowances and credits. BlueNext, in which NYSE Blue holds a 60% interest while the remaining 40% is held by CDC Climat, today operates a spot market in CO2 emission allowances that is the European leader in the field, from trading through to worldwide DVP settlement in real time.
BlueNext aims to be a world leader for trading in environment-related instruments and will be pursuing this goal with the international deployment of a comprehensive range of products and services, by the same token consolidating its user base across both financial and industrial sectors.

About Air France

AIR FRANCE, with its three regional subsidiaries, Brit Air, City Jet and Regional, operates 1,500 daily flights in France, Europe and worldwide. Its fleet comprises 398 aircraft in operation.

Since 2004, AIR FRANCE and KLM have formed one of the leading European air transport groups. In 2010-11, AIR FRANCE and KLM carried 71.3 million passengers. The two airlines currently offer their customers access to a network covering 254 destinations in 124 countries from their hubs at Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam-Schiphol. Their Flying Blue frequent flyer programme is leader in Europe and has over 19 million members.
AIR FRANCE and KLM and their partners Delta and Alitalia operate the biggest trans-Atlantic joint-venture with more than 250 daily flights.
AIR FRANCE and KLM are members of the SkyTeam alliance which has 15 member airlines, offering customers access to a global network of over 14,500 daily flights to 926 destinations in 173 countries.