Air France and Lufthansa seek review of EU aviation climate plans

Andrés Poleri

Two of the most important companies in the old continent are questioning some measures proposed by the European Union to reduce the impact of the industry on the environment. They are joined by some twenty other companies, including the managers of Frankfurt Airport and Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport.

Some of the strategies proposed by the European Union are not well received by the companies in the continent’s airline ecosystem since they would affect their competitiveness with respect to other operators. «The EU aims to be climate neutral by 2050: an economy with zero net greenhouse gas emissions. This objective is at the heart of the European Green Deal and in line with the EU’s commitment to global climate action under the Paris Agreement,» they state in the fundamentals of their long-term strategy.

The truth is that, as reported by Reuters, the alliance of companies rejects the fuel tax given that it would generate differentiated costs in relation to non-European competitors. Instead, they propose that an environmental surcharge be applied to the entire flight route.

National administrations are increasingly taking measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions into the environment. This, together with the efforts of airlines, manufacturers, suppliers, and airport managers, among others, is generating a certain trend towards achieving long-term decarbonization objectives.

In Belgium, for example, a decision was taken to discourage short-haul flights by introducing a tax of between 4 and 6 euros for all operations of up to 500 kilometers.

See also: Emissions reduction: Belgium discourages short flights with taxes

Otro caso reciente en la industria aerocomercial europea es el de las aerolíneas KLM y Air France, que en enero de este año empezaron a cobrar un cargo adicional en sus vuelos destinado a invertir en el desarrollo y la utilización de combustibles de aviación sostenible, que como hemos informado pueden reducir hasta en un 80% las emisiones de CO2.

See also: KLM and Air France increase the proportion of SAF on their flights to reduce environmental impact

Notwithstanding the specific claim being led by Lufthansa and Air France, companies are committed to the decarbonization of the industry and have been adopting different strategies to progressively promote the change.

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