A few days ago, Lufthansa, Europe's largest airline group, announced that from January 1, 2025, the ticket prices of all European flights operated by the company will be increased to cover the cost of environmental protection measures such as the use of sustainable fuels required by the European Commission.
According to reports from Italy's Today Network and Corriere della Sera, in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in air transport, the European Commission mandates the inclusion of sustainable fuels (SAF) in aircraft fuel tanks.
The fuels include synthetic fuels, renewable hydrogen, jet fuels based on exhaust gases and plastic waste, and biofuels derived from agricultural residues, algae, biomass, or used cooking oil. It is estimated to reduce harmful emissions by 60%-80%.
The EU mandates that 2% of aircraft departing from airports in the EU use sustainable fuel by the end of 2025, 6% by 2030, 20% by 2035 and 70% by 2050.
However, the current production of sustainable fuels is minimal, accounting for only 0.53% of the global aviation industry's demand, while the price is about three times higher than that of traditional fossil fuels. The requirements of the European Union will incur significant additional costs for airlines.
As a result, Lufthansa is the first to announce that it will increase the price of all flights departing from the 27 countries of the European Union, as well as the United Kingdom, Norway and Switzerland from January 1, 2025, with an additional "environmental surcharge". Depending on the route and flight fare, the increase can range from €1 to €72. Other airlines are expected to follow suit.
According to the study, on January 13, 2025, Lufthansa flies from Milan to Frankfurt will cost 140.23 euros in economy class, including an "environmental surcharge" of 2 euros and a surcharge of 3 euros for business class.
| The surcharge for Milan-New York flights (via Frankfurt) is 11 euros for economy class, 16 euros for premium economy class and 30 euros for business class; The surcharge for Munich-Frankfurt flights is 1 euro for economy class and 1.5 euros for business class; The surcharge for Frankfurt-New York flights is 9 euros for economy class, 14 euros for premium economy, 27 euros for business class and 54 euros for first class; The surcharge for Frankfurt-San Francisco flights is 12 euros for economy class, 18 euros for premium economy class, 36 euros for business class and 72 euros for first class. |
The environmental surcharge fluctuates between 0.3% and 1.4% of the total fare, with an average of just under 1%. However, if the cost of sustainable fuels remains the same, surcharges will continue to rise as the proportion of fuel used increases.
According to Lufthansa's estimates, the ticket price from Germany to China will increase by 220 euros by 2035. However, non-EU flights via Turkey can circumvent EU rules and increase prices by just 40 euros.
But some experts believe that as sustainable fuel production increases, its cost will gradually decrease. According to PwC research, economy class on intercontinental flights could increase by only 16 euros in 2038.
(Original Yi Yi, translation: Emma, editor: Shu Liao, picture source: Pixabay network, "European Times" data picture, please indicate Yi Yi: oushitalia)