German airline Lufthansa hikes ticket prices by up to $77 due to environmental costs

German airline company Lufthansa Group said Tuesday it would add an “environmental cost surcharge” to ticket prices as soon as this week, which could be as high as 72 euros ($77) for some flights. “The surcharge is intended to cover part of the steadily rising additional costs due to regulatory environmental requirements,” Lufthansa said in a statement, pointing to regulations from the European Union and International Civil Aviation Organization. The additional cost will be applied to fights departing from any of the 27 member countries of the European Union, as well as the U.K., Norway and Switzerland, Lufthansa said. All flights sold or operated by Lufthansa Group, which owns airlines including Lufthansa, Eurowings, Swiss and Edelweiss Air, and Austrian Airlines, will be subject to the charge. “The amount of the surcharge varies depending on the flight route and fare and is between 1 euro and 72 euros,” Lufthansa said, adding that the exact amount would be visible to customers during the booking stage. The fee will be applied to all tickets issued from June 26 — Wednesday of this week — that are for flights departing from Jan. 1, 2025, Lufthansa said. Several regulations from institutions including the EU would increase costs for airlines, Lufthansa said. This includes EU quotas for how much sustainable aviation fuel is used. These are set to come into effect in 2025 and increase over the years until 2050. Sustainable aviation fuel is an alternative to fossil fuels, and can be made of products such as waste oil and fats, nonfood crops, and other waste materials. It can also be created in a process that captures carbon from the air.<br/>