Legacy airlines take aim at EU climate policies

Despite publicly committing to net zero targets by 2050, T&E can reveal that numerous legacy airlines have been asking decision makers to weaken the environmental ambition of the EU’s proposed climate plans for aviation, including its sustainable fuels proposal (ReFuelEU) and the revision of carbon market rules (EU ETS) for aviation. These papers show major discrepancies between some EU airlines’ public “net zero” commitments and behind the scene lobbying.

The papers were made available to T&E in recent weeks, and originate from either the airlines or their industry representation groups. They come at a crucial time, as the EU’s co-legislative bodies are considering amendments to EU ETS and ReFuelEU over the coming weeks. T&E finds that some of the proposals made by these airline organisations could lead to reducing the actual emissions savings expected by the EU’s proposals by up to 69% already as of 2030. Even if some propose to artificially increase ambition,they would still reduce emissions savings by 38% in 2030. All these proposals would push airlines even further from their, and the EU’s, stated goal of climate neutrality by 2050.