Four airlines — easyJet, Ryanair, Jet2, and Wizz Air — together with clean mobility group T&E are calling for equal rules to apply to all flights departing from European airports, regardless of their destination, in order for European measures to effectively decarbonise the aviation industry by 2050.
As part of its Fit for 55 package, the European Commission is proposing to reform the Emissions Trading System rules for aviation, but the draft fails to address the bulk of aviation emissions — over 60% of emissions — which take place on extra-EU flights. Departing long-haul flights alone represent just 6% of all flights, but generate 51% of the emissions from European aviation.
All flights to non-EEA destinations should be included in the EU ETS. As it stands, intra-EU carriers have 80-90% of their emissions covered by the ETS, whereas long-haul carriers only purchase credits for around 19% of their – much greater – emissions. Some airlines claim that ambitious climate regulations risk being avoided by parts of the industry and therefore leading to carbon leakage. Carbon leakage happens when airlines avoid paying the extra costs of clean fuel or ETS allowances by displacing their emissions to other regions.
have shown that some of these claims are unfounded and that there is no reason for the EU not to impose its climate measures on all departing flights from its territory., said: “It’s absurd that people flying to Madrid or Budapest have to pay carbon taxes but far more polluting trips to New York or Singapore are exempt. Long distance flights generate the largest chunk of aviation emissions and contrails.