Twenty-one airlines have pledged to change their environmental claims deemed misleading, announced the European Commission in a statement.
Specifically, TAP and 20 other carriers (Air Baltic, Air Dolomiti, Air France, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, Easyjet, Finnair, KLM, Lufthansa, Luxair, Norwegian, Ryanair, SAS, SWISS, Transavia France, Transavia CV, Volotea, Vueling, and Wizz Air) agreed to implement changes following discussions with the European Commission and national consumer protection authorities.
“All these airlines have committed to stop claiming that the carbon dioxide emissions from a specific flight can be neutralized, offset, or directly reduced through consumer financial contributions to climate protection projects or the use of alternative aviation fuels,” stated Brussels.
National consumer protection authorities will monitor the implementation of these commitments according to the timeline provided by each airline.
“To ensure fair competition and equal conditions in the aviation sector, the network will also assess the practices of other airlines operating in the single market and, if necessary, will demand the same commitments,” it further noted.
Regarding TAP, the Portuguese flag carrier reported having already completed two of the seven adjustments, one of which involves ceasing to claim that a flight’s emissions could be offset by contributions to climate projects.
The other fulfilled commitment by TAP relates to stopping the use of unclear or unfounded ‘green’ terminology or images, or implicit environmental claims.
Outstanding commitments involve not claiming that emissions from a specific flight can be reduced by purchasing sustainable aviation fuel, avoiding the use of such terms without adequate basis, refraining from making unfounded future environmental goals, avoiding unclear or non-transparent emissions calculators, and ceasing vague or unverified environmental comparisons.
The aviation sector is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in transportation, significantly affecting air pollution.
To combat this, the EU has implemented several measures, such as encouraging the use of sustainable aviation fuels, investing in more efficient aircraft technologies, and integrating the sector into the European Emissions Trading System.
In its climate goals, the EU also aims to make flights within the community more eco-friendly and sustainable, balancing mobility with environmental protection.
