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Final Up to date on: twenty ninth April 2025, 03:44 am
Emissions from European aviation have nearly bounced again to 2019 ranges, with flights inside Europe even exceeding these, a brand new T&E research reveals. The EU’s carbon market (EU ETS) is presently failing to deal with the true value of those emissions, amid indicators of local weather backtracking from airways.
Aviation emissions and visitors up, low-cost airways eat up extra of the market
In 2024, the European aviation sector nearly totally bounced again to pre-COVID ranges (1), reaching 96% of 2019 flight numbers and 98% of emissions. The research additionally reveals that ten airways have been chargeable for 40% of all European aviation emissions, the highest polluters being Ryanair (16 Mt CO2), Lufthansa (10 mt CO2) and British Airways (9 Mt CO2).
Over 8.4 million flights departed from European airports final 12 months, producing 187.6 Mt of CO₂. In relation to intra-European flights, pre-COVID emissions ranges have been surpassed, with extra-European flights on the same trajectory (2).
Krisztina Hencz, Aviation Coverage Supervisor at T&E, stated: “Aviation emissions are spiraling out of control. To add insult to injury, the sector continues to dodge the true cost of its pollution, making a mockery of airlines’ pledges to build back greener after COVID. If Europe continues down this path, ‘green’ aviation will remain a figment of people’s imaginations. Next year’s review of EU carbon markets is a chance to rectify a loophole in the current legislation and ensure airlines pay for the true cost of their pollution.”
The research additionally charts the persevering with development of low-cost service growth within the European aviation business. That is even the case within the extra-European market, which is normally dominated by flagship carriers like Lufthansa and Air France.
High polluting routes expose cracks in key aviation local weather laws
The best-emitting routes departing Europe in 2024 have been all intercontinental, with London-New York topping the checklist. At present, these emissions should not priced beneath the EU, Swiss or UK carbon markets, which solely apply to flights inside Europe (3). Consequently, no airline needed to pay for his or her emissions on essentially the most polluting routes departing from Europe. T&E’s research means that as a lot as 70% of CO₂ emissions from aviation remained unpriced in 2024.
The EU will overview its ETS subsequent 12 months, presenting the chance to deal with this basic flaw by extending its scope to all departing flights. However the overview will come amid signs of climate backtracking from the aviation business, with CEOs from prominent airlines calling on the EU to weaken its carbon pricing guidelines.
Extending the ETS may generate billions for the inexperienced transition
Alongside local weather advantages, an extension of the European carbon markets may generate vital revenues. T&E estimates that an extension of the EU and UK ETS may have generated a further €7.5 billion euros in 2024 if extra-European emissions have been priced (4).
As a substitute, many airline CEOs are diverting consideration by promoting the cheap global aviation offsetting scheme CORSIAwhich fees as much as 23 occasions much less to pollute than an extension of the EU system (5). As well as, CORSIA won’t assist to boost revenues for inexperienced applied sciences like sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) and electrical and hydrogen plane.
“Relying on CORSIA to cover international emissions from aviation is a false economy,” Krisztina Hencz Added. “It is by far the worst option, both environmentally and financially. An extended EU ETS would deliver the greatest positive impact for European economies, alongside having the largest environmental benefits.”
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Europe’s 2024 airline emissions uncovered
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Notes:
(1) Each April, the European Fee releases compiled EU and Swiss emissions buying and selling system (ETS) emissions knowledge. Whereas this dataset is restricted to emissions from intra-European flights, T&E incorporates into the evaluation all flights departing from EU Member States, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and the UK, to permit for a extra complete image of aviation-related emissions at European and worldwide stage. That is accomplished by combining EU and Swiss ETS knowledge with emissions calculated from OAG flights knowledge.
(2) Zooming on on intra-EU flights solely, 2019 emissions ranges have been surpassed, whereas extra-EU flights will attain that stage quickly (totalling at 91% of 2019 ranges in 2024).
(3) The primary intra-European flight that’s included within the present scope of the EU ETS (Barcelona-London) would land because the one hundred and thirty fifth on this T&E research
(4) This evaluation doesn’t account for the potential lower in demand that might consequence from pricing these emissions
(5) Compared, calculating with an out there CORSIA offset value estimate of 16.56€ per ton, the full invoice of EU aviation could be 0.5 billion euros based mostly on EU 2024 emissions. 23 occasions much less to be paid for then contemplating an EU ETS scope prolonged for all departing flights from Europe. That is however the truth that CORSIA revenues wouldn’t keep in Europe however land within the pockets of world offset suppliers for questionable worldwide tasks.
Press launch from T&E.
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