The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is to launch its Environmental Labelling Scheme from 2025, informing passengers of the carbon footprint and carbon efficiency credentials of their flight when booking online.
“The labelling scheme will allow passengers to make sustainable choices when booking their flights, based on trusted information coming from an expert, but neutral, agency,” explained Maria Rueda, director of strategy and safety management at EASA. The agency describes its scheme as promoting ‘a fair competition network that recognises sustainability efforts, which will bring transparency and therefore competitiveness to the market’.
EASA will calculate carbon efficiency of flights using ‘actual historical data provided by airlines,’ projecting carbon footprints per passenger for future flights.
Although participation in the Environmental Labelling Scheme will be voluntary, airlines that choose to opt in will be required to submit flight data for all flights that fall under the scope of the initiative to EASA. They will then be required to display the result in their booking systems, enabling passengers to “be actively aware of the impact of their travel choices,” highlights Rueda.