CO2 levels European aviation sector back to pre-Covid levels

CO2 emissions from planes taking off from a European airport last year are back almost at the same level as in 2019, before the Covid-19 crisis. So, Transport & Environment (T&E) reports. The NGO that fights for more environmentally friendly transportation calls the airlines’ promise to return greener after the coronavirus pandemic “a joke.”

Last year, more than 8.4 million flights departed from European airports, or 96% of the 2019 level. Those flights, about 23,000 per day, together accounted for 187.7 million tons of CO2, or 98% of pre-Covid-19 levels, equivalent to the annual emissions of about 40 million cars.

More to the point: intra-European flights have surpassed pre-Covid-19 levels, with extra-European flights on a similar trajectory. If Europe continues down this path, aviation could be burning as much fossil kerosene in 2049 as it did in 2023.

Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair was again the biggest emitter, with 16.2 Mt CO2, followed by Lufthansa (10 Mt CO2) and British Airways (8.9 Mt CO2).

70% of CO2 emissions remain unpriced

T&E charges that airlines will only have to pay for about 30% of their carbon emissions, or around 3 billion euros in 2024. That’s because emissions trading schemes cover only flights within Europe.

They do not apply to intercontinental flights, which emit the most CO2. For example, the highest-emitting routes departing from Europe in 2024 were all intercontinental, with London-New York topping the list.

The NGO, therefore, argues that when the EU Emissions Trading Scheme is revised in 2026, the scope should be extended to all flights from Europe. Such an expansion would have raised an additional 7,5 billion euros last year, T&E estimates.

Is CORSIA taking the upper hand?

Moreover, the NGO states that many airline CEOs are diverting attention by promoting the cheap global aviation offsetting scheme CORSIA, which charges up to 23 times less to pollute than an extension of the EU system.

In addition, CORSIA – EU member states participating in the pilot phase of this current alternative used for pricing flights outside the European Economic Area – will not help raise revenues for green technologies like sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) and electric and hydrogen aircraft.

“The review in 2026 is an opportunity to fill a gap in current legislation and ensure that airlines pay for the true cost of their pollution,” says Krisztina Hence, aviation policy manager at T&E.

Furthermore, T&E also advocates that Europe implement a kerosene tax through the revised Energy Taxation Directive (ETD), addressing an existing exemption that allows aviation to avoid fuel taxes while contributing disproportionately to emissions.