New EASA Scheme to Inform Flyers of Environmental Impact of Their Flight

Starting in 2025, travelers who book their air tickets online will have access info about the flight’s environmental impact, according to a new initiative of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

Under the new initiative, which is part of EASA’s Environmental Labelling Scheme, travelers booking online will be able to see standardized information on the “carbon footprint” and “carbon efficiency” of flights in the EU, along with an explanation of the result.

The preparatory phase of implementation will take place this year. Carriers that choose to opt in will be required to submit flight data for all flights that fall under the scope of the initiative to EASA. They cannot choose to submit data only for certain routes. They will also need to display the result in their booking systems to ensure this information reaches passengers. To assist in the transition, EASA will be launching an early adopters’ plan for interested airlines to provide guidance.

For airlines, the scheme promotes a fair competition framework that recognizes sustainability efforts, which will bring transparency and competitiveness to the market, said EASA in a statement.

“The labelling scheme will allow passengers to make sustainable choices when booking their flights, based on trusted information coming from an expert, but neutral, agency,” said Maria Rueda, director of Strategy and Safety Management at EASA. “It will make progress towards decarbonization of aviation visible and allow passengers to be part of the solution – by ensuring they can be actively aware of the impact of their travel choices.”

Last year, EASA partnered with Google to create the framework for estimating flight emissions so that flyers will have access to reliable and easily understood information to compare flights from different airlines. Lufthansa Group is a pilot partner.

EASA’s in-progress environmental labeling scheme for aviation will also include a focus on flight label, airline label and aircraft label.