+20 Industry & Civil Society Organisations Call on the EU to Include All Departing Flights in the EU Carbon Market

Why It Matters

Including all departing flights would align aviation with the EU’s polluter‑pays principle, level the playing field for carriers, and unlock significant funding for climate‑friendly transport and industrial innovation.

Key Takeaways

• 70% of EU aviation CO₂ emissions sit outside the ETS.
• Airlines paid ~€22/tonne ($24) vs €73/tonne ($80) system‑wide.
• Extending ETS could raise ~€14 bn ($15.3 bn) by 2030.
• CORSIA projected to cover only 26% of EU aviation emissions by 2035.

Pulse Analysis

The EU’s Emissions Trading System has been a cornerstone of its climate strategy since 2005, yet aviation has lingered in a partial‑coverage regime. While flights within the European Economic Area have been subject to carbon pricing since 2012, the majority of emissions from extra‑EEA routes fall under the International Civil Aviation Organization’s CORSIA scheme, which relies on offsets of variable quality. This loophole means that roughly seven out of ten tonnes of aviation CO₂ escape the EU’s carbon market, diluting the overall effectiveness of the ETS and undermining the bloc’s ambition to meet its 2030 climate targets.

The price disparity is stark: airlines operating under the current ETS framework pay about €22 per tonne of CO₂ ($24), far below the €73 ($80) average price across other sectors. This weak signal encourages continued growth in air travel, which has already risen more than 30% since the ETS’s inception, while competitors from non‑EU carriers benefit from lower compliance costs. The resulting market distortion not only skews competition but also erodes public confidence in the EU’s ability to enforce the polluter‑pays principle uniformly across industries.

Expanding the ETS to all departing flights would close the loophole, generate an estimated €14 bn ($15.3 bn) in annual revenue by 2030, and direct funds toward greener transport alternatives such as high‑speed rail and emerging aviation decarbonisation technologies. In a landscape where global clean‑tech investment is fiercely contested, the move would reinforce Europe’s leadership in climate policy and provide a stable financing stream for the industrial transition required to meet net‑zero goals.