German aviation company Lufthansa Group announced the implementation of an Environmental Cost Surcharge (ECS) on ticket prices to address rising costs associated with “regulatory environmental requirements”.
The charge, announced on June 25, will range between €1 and €72, depending on the route. The specific amount will be displayed on the price details on the Lufthansa Group Airlines booking pages.
The surcharge will apply to all tickets issued from June 26, 2024 for departures from January 1, 2025.
The company said it was designed to cover part of rising expenses due to mandates such as “the statutory blending quota for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and adjustments to the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), as well as other regulatory environmental costs like the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA)”.
“Lufthansa Group has been investing millions over the last years in reducing its environmental footprint, whether it is true fleet renewal or Sustainable Aviation Fuel,” it said in a statement to Brussels Signal.
The extra charge will apply to all flights sold and operated by the Lufthansa Group departing from the 27 European Union countries, as well as the UK, Norway and Switzerland.
The company said the surcharge was its sole decision and that it does not imply or make reference to any EU environmental tax or cover any type of regulation in this regard.
According to Lufthansa, the charge will only be applicable to flights within European airspace, excluding those leaving the continent, and the fee will vary depending on the distance and travel class.
As previously reported, the European Commission has decided to temper its climate ambitions and will exclude intercontinental flights from carbon limitations.
The European Commission has drafted plans to drop long-haul flights from CO2 emissions-monitoring rules.https://t.co/2h6tzhhDtT
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) June 19, 2024
Whether it is related or not, the decision of the European executive and the airline seem to go hand in hand.
COMMENT: Under new EU plans, air travel will become a privilege of the rich. The price of flights will be raised with the excuse of pollution, and air travel will become a sometimes-unreachable luxury for the working class, writes @JavierVillamor. https://t.co/Yb5gOFnzF4
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) June 24, 2024
