Share this on social media
More than three quarters of European aviation emissions aren’t subject to a carbon price, new study shows.
(Transport and Environment, 19 Apr 2024) Ryanair is Europe’s top polluting airline for the third year in a row, a new study on 2023 aviation emissions by green group Transport & Environment (T&E) shows.
Lufthansa and British Airways are the second and third biggest polluters, but are still below their pre-Covid levels of flying. Budget airlines Ryanair and Wizz Air polluted more than ever last year – far past their peak in 2019. Ryanair emitted 15 Mt of CO2 in 2023 – 23% higher than pre-Covid levels – whilst Wizz Air’s emissions grew 40% in that time. Ryanair’s emissions are equivalent to that of seven million petrol cars in a year.
In 2023, one flight out of four in Europe was operated by one of the three main low cost carriers (easyJet, Ryanair, Wizz Air), the analysis shows. In 2019, it was one out of five, showing that budget airlines are growing their market share in Europe. On the other hand, legacy carriers including Air France, Lufthansa, KLM and British Airways, have lost 2.8 pp market share since Covid.
External link
Transport and Environment, 19 Apr 2024: More than three quarters of European aviation emissions aren’t subject to a carbon price, new study shows.More Related News
Airline emissions
2 May 2024: Contrails – Plane to see
22 Apr 2024: Some UK airlines polluting more than ever as emissions approach pre-pandemic levels
12 Apr 2024: UK startup lifts lid on plan to turn human waste into jet fuel
5 Mar 2024: Will national teams become champions for sustainable travel during Euro 2024?
9 Feb 2024: The world is reducing its reliance on fossil fuels – except for in three key sectors
2 Feb 2024: Weatherwatch: study makes green case for electric planes
2 Feb 2024: Hanoi flights halted as city faces worsening air pollution
19 Dec 2023: Greenwashing cases against airlines in Europe, US
19 Dec 2023: Europe wins big on green fuels for planes and ships
19 Dec 2023: Half of global companies have cut their business flights in two since Covid
15 Dec 2023: Flying hurts the planet but it’s vital for island tourism. Is there a greener way?
27 Nov 2023: Frequent flyers are rewarded for polluting. Let them pay the full price
24 Nov 2023: UN-led talks weigh goal to reduce aviation emissions thorough less-polluting fuels
17 Oct 2023: Refusing to fly has lost me my job as a climate researcher. It’s a price worth paying
10 Oct 2023: Why airlines are perfect targets for anti-greenwashing legal action
21 Sep 2023: France to seek minimum price for flights in Europe
15 Sep 2023: Every hour European governments lose out on €4 million in aviation taxes
31 Aug 2023: France calls for minimum price on European flights
20 Jul 2023: Flying in Europe up to 30 times cheaper than train, says Greenpeace
18 Jul 2023: Every hour European governments lose out on €4 million in aviation taxes
6 Jun 2023: Global airlines target ‘anti-aviation’ Europe over green policies
2 Jun 2023: Commission rules out new private jet measures despite member state push
22 May 2023: Running a hydrogen plane could be cheaper than traditional aircraft by 2035
18 Apr 2023: UK’s low-carbon aviation fuels strategy coming in late 2023, Ministers confirm
6 Apr 2023: Will the aviation sector replicate Big Oil’s playbook?
30 Mar 2023: UK is Europe’s worst private jet polluter, study finds
17 Mar 2023: 85% of global companies don’t have credible plans to reduce corporate flying emissions
7 Mar 2023: Policy support needed to boost sustainable aviation fuels in China
28 Feb 2023: The easy fix to air pollution linked to planes
28 Feb 2023: Scientists pour cold water on UK aviation’s net zero ambitions
16 Feb 2023: UK airlines: not paying for pollution
20 Jan 2023: Airlines to invoke EU freedoms to challenge green restrictions on short-haul flights
8 Dec 2022: Lawmakers agree to restrict EU carbon tax to flights within Europe
10 Oct 2022: International air travel set for ‘aspirational’ 2050 net zero goal
7 Oct 2022: UN aviation body pushes back on transparency, influence concerns on sustainability talks
29 Sep 2022: Revealed: 5,000 empty ‘ghost flights’ in UK since 2019, data shows
27 Sep 2022: Calculating your vacation’s carbon footprint, one travel mode at a time
26 Sep 2022: Easyjet to stop offsetting CO2 emissions from December
23 Sep 2022: Activists subvert poster sites to shame aviation and ad industries
26 Aug 2022: Google accused of airbrushing carbon emissions in flight search results
22 Jul 2022: A 17-minute flight? The super-rich who have ‘absolute disregard for the planet'
8 Jul 2022: EU lawmakers stop controversial biofuels from fuelling planes
28 Jun 2022: MEPs vote to broaden the definition of ‘sustainable aviation fuels’
27 Jun 2022: Dutch government issues world-first cap on flights from European hub
14 Jun 2022: Dutch group targets hydrogen-fuelled commercial flight in 2028
10 Jun 2022: Analysis of green jet fuel production in Europe
16 May 2022: Johnson’s ‘jet zero’ plan unrealistic and may make UK miss CO2 targets – report
10 May 2022: Just one of 50 aviation industry climate targets met, study finds
10 May 2022: Too few businesses pledge to reduce business flying, new corporate ranking finds
29 Apr 2022: Is it possible to fly to New York without emitting CO2?
29 Apr 2022: Climate impact of flying could be two thirds higher than thought
8 Apr 2022: How much does air travel warm the planet? New report gives a figure
1 Apr 2022: Non-CO2 effects of aviation: Time to finally address aviation’s full climate impact
8 Mar 2022: The Guardian view on ghost flights: a symptom, not the disease
8 Mar 2022: Why “flying less” offers the best path to sustainable aviation
6 Dec 2021: US spending on airport expansion flies under the radar for climate activists
3 Dec 2021: British Airways looks to recycled cooking oil fuel to cut jet emissions
25 Oct 2021: Could flying electric ‘air taxis’ help fix urban transportation?
4 Oct 2021: Greening measures will add around 8% to airline costs, EU estimates
6 Sep 2021: Climate impact of a transatlantic flight could cost global economy $3,000
5 Jul 2021: LEAK: EU to propose aviation fuel tax in green policy push
21 May 2021: Expansion of English airports could threaten climate commitments – report
6 May 2021: Airlines must reduce emissions instead of offsetting, say experts
29 Apr 2021: Aviation bosses embrace sustainable aviation fuels as path to green flying
26 Apr 2021: Fuelling a European recovery: Time to end aviation fuel tax exemption
12 Apr 2021: European business travellers say set to fly less after COVID-19
25 Mar 2021: Solo car journeys more harmful to the environment than flying: report
19 Mar 2021: Revealed: Unpublished EU analysis is scathing of airline CO2 deal
19 Mar 2021: Global airline emissions plan falls short of EU goals, Brussels advised
26 Feb 2021: EU announces fresh funding for ‘disruptive’ research into clean aircraft
22 Feb 2021: EU plans eco ranking for planes and flights - Welt am Sonntag
15 Feb 2021: Europe’s aviation sector launches ambitious plan to reach net zero by 2050
11 Feb 2021: France scraps Paris airport expansion over climate concerns
4 Feb 2021: Recovering atmospheric carbon can make new fuel
14 Jan 2021: Airlines join NGO calls for tougher EU biofuel regulations
17 Dec 2020: Top UK court overturns block on Heathrow's third runway
4 Dec 2020: 1% ‘super emitters’ responsible for over 50% of aviation emissions
26 Nov 2020: Climate-busting plane pollution revealed by new EU study
12 Nov 2020: People plan to drive more post-Covid, climate poll shows
12 Oct 2020: UK Supreme Court hears climate case on Heathrow airport expansion
29 Sep 2020: Calculating the true climate impact of aviation emissions
28 Sep 2020: Supply chains generate massive carbon emissions
21 Sep 2020: Airbus reveals ‘zero-emission’ plane plan
3 Jul 2020: Airlines’ climate obligations postponed as UN body endorses industry proposal
25 Jun 2020: Largest electric plane in Europe takes to the skies over the UK
25 Jun 2020: Shipping, aviation 2030 climate goals too weak, research finds
22 Jun 2020: Taxing jet-fuel still on the radar, despite aviation’s virus woes
11 Jun 2020: Carbon-neutral aircraft might work with ion drive
11 Jun 2020: Swiss parliament backs carbon surcharge on plane tickets
11 Jun 2020: ‘Final blow’ to aviation climate plan as EU agrees to weaken rules
2 Jun 2020: Green bailouts: relying on carbon offsetting will let polluting airlines off the hook
1 Jun 2020: EU urged not to mess with UN aviation rules
14 May 2020: UN aviation scheme to supplement, not replace EU carbon trading
7 May 2020: Economy bigwigs rank airline bailouts last on virus recovery wishlist
4 May 2020: Air France coronavirus bailout package to demand steep emissions cuts
20 Apr 2020: Austrian Airlines bailout to be linked to climate targets
7 Apr 2020: Airlines urge UN body to ease climate goals for 2020s as traffic collapses
2 Apr 2020: Big airline polluters grew emissions in 2019 ahead of expected COVID drop
26 Mar 2020: Coronavirus redraws battle lines on airline emissions
17 Mar 2020: Coronavirus may toughen airlines’ goals for curbing emissions in 2020s
13 Mar 2020: Ban short-haul flights for climate? In EU poll 62% say yes
6 Mar 2020: UN aviation agency weighs restrictions on carbon credits under fire by climate activists
6 Mar 2020: Delay aviation tax because of coronavirus, says airline boss
6 Mar 2020: Delay aviation tax because of coronavirus, says airline boss
28 Feb 2020: The death of Heathrow’s third runway sends a clear message ahead of Cop26
28 Feb 2020: Heathrow airport expansion is unlawful, says UK court
20 Feb 2020: The French MEP bashing football clubs over their flying habit
7 Feb 2020: ‘Flight shame’? Europeans have never flown as frequently
5 Feb 2020: Ryanair accused of greenwash over carbon emissions claim
31 Jan 2020: Global airline group to launch carbon exchange platform to address climate change
13 Jan 2020: Sweden's air travel drops in year when 'flight shaming' took off
