Press Release: Universal Announces New EU-ETS Service Offering; CICS Selected as Preferred EU-ETS 3rd Party Verifier

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Houston (Oct. 19, 2010) – Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc. announced that it will begin offering aviation European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU-ETS) reporting services in time for operators to comply with the March 31, 2011 deadline to submit verified 2010 emissions data.

Universal® has chosen CICS Inc. as its preferred partner for 3rd party verification services. CICS is one of the leading Greenhouse Gas verifiers in Europe and North America and has verified over €7 billion worth of EU-ETS emissions to date.

"To help make compliance with EU-ETS as painless and cost-efficient as possible for our clients, we have created a new reporting service," said Randy Stephens, Division Vice President, Product Management and Specialty Services, Universal®. "Since the EU-ETS directive was first announced, we've received many requests from clients to develop a reporting service so they can concentrate on flying the aircraft and leave the reporting to us. We are excited to be able to meet that demand and have the reports verified through the one of the industry's leading verifiers in CICS."

Stephens said that Universal® will streamline the reporting process by leveraging existing historical flight planning data it already has from its clients' trips into, out of, and between EU Member States.

"We are currently developing a unique portal our clients will be able to log into that will house that data," said Stephens. "Clients will also have the ability to upload any additional data from flights not coordinated through Universal®."

After the report has been created, Universal® will give its clients the information for them to provide to CICS to independently verify the data. CICS is accredited by the UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service), the Republic of Ireland, and other European member states to provide Greenhouse Gas verification of annual emissions data and tone-kilometre data for aircraft operators under the EU-ETS Scheme.

"We wanted to partner with a reputable 3rd party verifier that understands the unique reporting needs of small emitters," said Stephens. "CICS has worked with major operators, airport managers, and small emitters and understands the differences. Using CICS as our preferred verifier will also save our clients money in the event a site visit is required. With offices in both the UK and the U.S., clients will not have to pay for expensive overseas travel for verifiers to visit in person."

Universal® Supervisor of Regulatory Services Adam Hartley said that Universal® clients will continue to have the option of creating their own reports if they choose.

"Although we are now offering a paid reporting service, we will continue to provide information to the industry via our EU-ETS Reporting Resource Center (www.EU-ETS.aero)," said Hartley.

For more information on Universal's new EU-ETS service or questions about EU-ETS, visit Universal® exhibit #3927 at NBAA 2010.

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About Universal

Count on Universal® to offer the solutions you need to meet your goals. With more than 50 years of experience in supporting business aviation and over 2.5 million trip legs facilitated, we have the knowledge and expertise to make your trip a success. Our comprehensive resources include customized trip support, convenience through the UVair® Fuel Program, worldwide ground support from Universal Aviation, online flight planning, aircraft data link, scheduling software, and much more.

CONTACT:
Louis Smyth
On-site at NBAA: (713) 306-3269
Worldwide Direct: (713) 947-5713
E-mail: lsmyth@univ-wea.com