A new analysis from the European Federation for Transport and Environment (T&E) reveals that flights departing Europe emitted nearly as much carbon dioxide (CO2) last year as they did before the Covid-19 pandemic began.
The European aviation sector nearly reached pre-pandemic levels last year, achieving 96% of the flight numbers and 98% of the emissions recorded in 2019.
According to T&E, more than 8.4 million aircraft took off from European airports in 2024, producing 187.6 million tonnes (Mt) of CO2.
Intra-European flights exceeded their 2019 emissions level, reaching 71.5 Mt CO2 compared to 67.3 Mt, and extra-European flights are following a similar trajectory.
T&E reports that ten airlines account for 40% of emissions from European flights. The budget airline Ryanair leads with 16 Mt CO2, followed by Lufthansa at 10 Mt, and British Airways at 9 Mt.
Despite these concerning findings, budget air travel continues to grow. Jérôme du Boucher, the aviation lead at T&E France, criticised the aviation sector for failing to honour its decarbonisation promises and neglecting the "climate debt" it owes.
Du Boucher urged that the planned revision of the EU carbon market in 2026 be used as an opportunity to address legislative gaps and ensure airlines pay their fair share.
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The aviation sector is already showing resistance, as major airlines have recently called on the EU to ease its carbon pricing regulations, according to T&E.
T&E estimated that extending the EU and UK carbon markets to cover extra-EU emissions could have generated an additional €7.5 billion for ecological transition efforts in 2024.
