While supporting the EU’s climate protection goals, Lufthansa, Fraport and Munich Airport are calling for a policy that ensures a level playing field.
The German companies have appealed to the EU Parliament and Council to improve the proposals of the EU Commission and initiate a regulation that promotes effective climate protection while maintaining the competitiveness of European hubs and airlines. Equal treatment of airlines and airports within the EU and their non-EU competitors is crucial. Until now this has been missing. Since proposed climate protection requirements are decidedly stricter for EU airlines and hubs than for non-EU competitors, corrective steps are necessary, the companies said.
In its climate protection package, "Fit for 55," the European Commission proposes three measures for aviation: introducing a kerosene tax, tightening emissions trading (ETS), and introducing an increasing blending mandate for sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). By 2050, aviation is to be CO2-neutral. According to Fraport, Munich Airport and Lufthansa, implementation of these plans without appropriate changes will result in a unilateral cost increase for European network airlines and hubs. Connectivity, value creation and employment in Europe would be significantly weakened.
Jost Lammers, CEO of Flughafen München, said: "We need a fair and effective climate policy that does not put European airlines in a worse position than their competitors. A mere kerosene tax does not save a single gram of CO2. However, emissions trading and the SAF blending mandate, properly implemented do and are effective instruments for the desired decarbonisation of aviation.”
