The Lufthansa Group introduces an environmental cost surcharge. The surcharge is intended to cover part of the steadily rising additional costs resulting from legal environmental requirements. These include the statutory blending quota of initially two percent for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for departures from European Union (EU) countries from January 1, 2025, adjustments to the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) and other regulatory environmental costs. such as the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA).
The environmental cost surcharge applies to all flights sold and operated by the Lufthansa Group departing from the 27 EU countries, the United Kingdom, Norway and Switzerland. The amount of the surcharge varies depending on the flight route and the fare and is between 1 euro and 72 euros. The Environmental Cost Surcharge will be levied on all tickets issued from June 26, 2024 and applies to departures from January 1, 2025. The exact amount of the Environmental Cost Surcharge is shown on the Lufthansa Group Airlines booking pages in the price details.
The Lufthansa Group invests billions every year in new technologies and works with partners on innovations that help make flying step by step more sustainable and stimulate the scaling up of key technologies outside the Lufthansa Group. In addition, the Lufthansa Group has been actively supporting global climate and weather research for many years. However, the aviation group will not be able to bear the increasing additional costs resulting from regulatory requirements alone in the coming years. Part of these expected costs for the year 2025 are now covered by the new Environmental Cost Surcharge.
The Lufthansa Group has set itself ambitious targets in the field of climate protection and is aiming for a neutral CO₂ balance by 2050. By 2030, the aviation group wants to halve net CO₂ emissions compared to 2019 through reduction and compensation measures. For an effective climate protection, the Lufthansa Group focuses primarily on accelerated modernization of the fleet, the continuous optimization of flight operations, the use of SAF and offers for private travelers and business customers to make air travel or freight transport more sustainable.
Background information
EU SAF quotas
As part of its ‘Fit for 55’ climate protection programme, the EU has decided on mandatory SAF blending quotas that will increase over the years until 2050. The SAF quota should be 2 percent from 2025, 6 percent from 2030, and 20 percent from 2030. from 2035 and 70 percent from 2050. This will lead to billions in additional costs for the Lufthansa Group in the future.
EU ETS
In the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) for aviation, CO₂ emissions have been controlled and limited since 2012 through certificate trading. The Lufthansa Group is subject to this system for all flights within the European Economic Area (EEA). Additional obligations to surrender emission certificates exist under the Emissions Trading Schemes of Switzerland (CH-ETS) and the United Kingdom (UK-ETS) for flights between the EEA, Switzerland and the UK.
CORSIA
Under the climate protection agreement reached by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in October 2016 – the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) – growth-related CO₂ emissions in international aviation have since been offset through the purchase of certificates. 2021. All emissions from the aviation industry that exceed the CO₂ emissions of the ICAO baseline will be offset. For the years 2024 to 2035, this amounts to 85 percent of the emissions from 2019.