Airline chiefs want government aid to reduce carbon emissions

Europe’s leading airlines renewed calls for state support and legislation to help them decarbonize, arguing that government backing is vital to keep the region competitive during the costly transition to cleaner energy. The heads of Lufthansa, British Airways owner IAG, EasyJet and Ryanair rattled off a list of familiar requests at the first gathering of the Airlines for Europe industry lobby since the early days of the Covid pandemic, a crisis now superseded by the conflict in Ukraine. The demands include more support for so-called sustainable aviation fuel, the controversial Corsia carbon-offset scheme, and the Single European Sky project to simplify air-traffic control, cutting fuel burn and emissions by up to 15%. Action on the wish-list will serve the higher purpose of keeping the cost of flying affordable, and is vital to enhancing competitiveness as the war in Russia and resulting spike in energy costs expose Europe’s vulnerability to outside forces, Lufthansa Chief Executive Officer Carsten Spohr said. “As Europeans, we’re not able to defend ourselves anymore, we’re not able to provide our own energy anymore,” he said on a panel. “Let’s at least make sure we can connect ourselves.” Air-traffic control caused 90% of delays at Ryanair in the past year, lengthening flights and boosting emissions, CEO Michael O’Leary said, adding: “We cannot at a time when oil prices are at record highs continue to waste fuel.”<br/>