EU airlines to Brussels: Don’t extend carbon tax to long-haul flights, it will hike fares and cargo costs.
Major European airlines have urged the European Union not to extend its Emissions Trading System (ETS) to cover international flights departing the bloc, warning that the move would increase airfares and cargo costs. In a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, airline groups including Air France-KLM, IAG, Lufthansa, and Ryanair argued that expanding the ETS beyond intra-European flights would burden passengers and businesses while undermining the United Nations’ CORSIA aviation emissions scheme. The European Commission is considering the expansion as part of a policy review due next month, arguing it would ensure equal treatment among airlines and support decarbonisation efforts. However, carriers contend that CORSIA should remain the primary global mechanism for addressing aviation emissions and have called for ETS costs to be aligned with CORSIA levels.
