A Lufthansa Airbus A340-300 and an Airbus A321-100 are parked on the airport tarmac.
Helmut Frick | Image Alliance | Getty Images
Lufthansa Group AG said on Tuesday it would add an “environmental cost surcharge” to ticket prices as soon as this week, with the surcharge potentially being as high as 72 euros ($77) on some flights.
“The surcharge is intended to cover part of the additional costs that are steadily rising due to the requirements of the regulatory environment,” Lufthansa said. said in a statementpointing to EU and International Civil Aviation Organization regulations.
Lufthansa said the extra charges would apply to flights departing from the 27 EU member states as well as the UK, Norway and Switzerland. The Lufthansa Group, which owns Lufthansa, Eurowings, Swiss Edelweiss and Austrian Airlines, is subject to this fee on all flights sold or operated.
“The amount of the surcharge varies depending on the route and fare and ranges from 1 euro to 72 euros,” Lufthansa said, adding that the exact amount will be visible to customers during the booking stage.
Lufthansa said the fee will apply to all tickets issued from June 26 (Wednesday this week) for flights departing from January 1, 2025.
environmental regulations
Lufthansa said a number of regulations from the European Union and other institutions will increase costs for airlines.
This includes EU quotas on the use of sustainable aviation fuels. These measures will come into effect in 2025 and increase year by year until 2050.
Sustainable aviation fuel is an alternative to fossil fuels and can be made from products such as waste oils and fats, non-food crops and other waste products. It can also be produced during the process of capturing carbon from the air.
IATA says sustainable aviation fuel can reach surrounding areas 65% reduction in emissions The aviation industry needs to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
Lufthansa said on Tuesday that the quotas would “result in billions of dollars in additional costs in the future.”
The company also pointed to the EU, Swiss and UK emissions trading systems as factors in its increasing environmental costs. These programs control and limit the amount of emissions allowed, with an overall cap that is reduced over time to meet emissions reduction targets.
Finally, Lufthansa also said that ICAO’s climate protection agreement, which also aims to control emissions, also played a role.
Lufthansa said it is investing heavily in technology to make aviation more sustainable and support climate research.
“However, the airline group will not be able to bear on its own the additional costs that will continue to arise due to regulatory requirements in the coming years. Part of the projected costs in 2025 will be covered by the new environmental cost surcharge,” it said.
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