06/22/2023 03:51 pm (act. 06/22/2023 04:00 pm)
Accusation: “Green” and aviation don’t get along ©APA/dpa
Consumer associations from 19 European countries have filed a complaint with the European Commission against 17 airlines for misleading consumers with information about environmental and climate protection. In particular, the system of so-called CO2 compensation – a voluntary climate protection surcharge when booking a flight – is nothing more than greenwashing, the European consumer association Beuc said on Thursday.
According to a legal analysis, there were violations of EU regulations. “Claims that paying additional fees can ‘offset’, ‘neutralise’ or ‘offset’ a flight’s CO2 emissions are factually incorrect,” said Beuc. Money flows to projects and activities whose contribution to climate protection is “highly uncertain”. “The damage caused by CO2 emissions from air travel, on the other hand, is certain.”
Additionally, consumer advocates denounce the fact that some airlines are charging surcharges for developing sustainable jet fuels. “These fuels are not yet ready for the market”, explains Beuc. Until the late 2030s, the fuel blend ratio will remain small – and consumers should not be charged for it.
Furthermore, it is a fundamental problem that airlines “give consumers the impression that flying is sustainable”. Because that’s not it and it won’t be “in the near future”. Should consumers incur costs as a result, state consumer protection officials would have to “ask airlines to reimburse their customers for the costs”.
Organizations from 17 EU countries, as well as Switzerland and Norway, are involved in the complaint, including the Federal Association of Consumer Organizations (vzbv). The EU Commission is therefore called upon to investigate airlines such as Lufthansa, Ryanair, KLM and others.