1.Aircraft operators operating fewer than 243 flights per period for three consecutive four-month periods and aircraft operators operating flights with total annual emissions lower than 25 000 tonnes CO2 per year shall be considered small emitters.
2.By way of derogation from Article 53, small emitters may estimate the fuel consumption using tools implemented by Eurocontrol or another relevant organisation, which can process all relevant air traffic information and avoid any underestimations of emissions.
The applicable tools may only be used if they are approved by the Commission including the application of correction factors to compensate for any inaccuracies in the modelling methods.
3.By way of derogation from Article 12, a small emitter that intends to make use of any of the tools referred to in paragraph 2 of this Article may submit only the following information in the monitoring plan for emissions:
(a)information required pursuant to point 1 of section 2 of Annex I;
(b)evidence that the thresholds for small emitters set out in paragraph 1 of this Article are met;
(c)the name of or reference to the tool as referred to in paragraph 2 of this Article that will be used for estimating the fuel consumption.
A small emitter shall be exempted from the requirement to submit the supporting documents referred to in the third subparagraph of Article 12(1).
4.Where an aircraft operator uses any of the tools referred to in paragraph 2 and exceeds the thresholds referred to in paragraph 1 during a reporting year, the aircraft operator shall notify the competent authority thereof without undue delay.
The aircraft operator shall, without undue delay, submit a significant modification of the monitoring plan within the meaning of point (iv) of Article 15(4)(a) to the competent authority for approval.
However, the competent authority shall allow that the aircraft operator continues to use a tool referred to in paragraph 2 provided that that aircraft operator demonstrates to the satisfaction of the competent authority that the thresholds referred to in paragraph 1 have not already been exceeded within the past five reporting periods and will not be exceeded again from the following reporting period onwards.