1.Where an aircraft operator cannot provide verified tonne-kilometre data to the competent authority by the relevant deadline pursuant to Article 3e(1) of Directive 2003/87/EC because of serious and unforeseeable circumstances outside of its control, that aircraft operator shall submit to the competent authority, for the purposes of that provision, the best tonne-kilometre data that can be made available given the circumstances, including data based, where necessary, on credible estimates.
2.Where the conditions set out in paragraph 1 are met, the Member State shall, for the purposes of the application referred to in Article 3e(1) of Directive 2003/87/EC and in accordance with paragraph 2 of that Article, submit the data received in respect of the aircraft operator concerned, together with an explanation of the circumstances that led to the absence of a report verified in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 600/2012, to the Commission.
The Commission and the Member States shall use those data for the purposes of Article 3e(3) and (4) of Directive 2003/87/EC.
3.Where the Member State submits data received in respect of an aircraft operator to the Commission pursuant to paragraph 2 of this Article, the aircraft operator concerned shall ensure a verification of the submitted tonne-kilometre data in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 600/2012 as soon as possible and, in any case, upon termination of the circumstances referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article.
The aircraft operator shall, without undue delay, submit the verified data to the competent authority.
The competent authority concerned shall reduce and publish the revised allocation of free allowances for the aircraft operator pursuant to Article 3e(4) of Directive 2003/87/EC as appropriate. The relevant allocation shall not be increased. Where applicable, the aircraft operator shall return any excess allowances received pursuant to Article 3e(5) of that Directive.
4.The competent authority shall put into place effective measures to ensure that the aircraft operator concerned complies with its obligations pursuant to paragraph 3.