Air France-KLM has become the first airline group to assist the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in honing its new voluntary environmental labeling scheme for airlines. The scheme will arm consumers with accurate flight emissions data to make more informed decisions when they book flights, pay to offset carbon emissions or purchase Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) credits.
Agreed by the European Commission in December 2024 as part of Regulation (EU) 2024/3170, the so-called EU Flight Emissions Label (FEL) is focused on providing a trustworthy framework for airlines to share flight emissions data with consumers. It will harmonise emissions calculation methodology, data reporting, and emissions display for all airlines in the EU. And when booking flights, passengers will be able to see standardised emissions information derived from data from actual flight performance.
To prepare for the FEL’s wider implementation, EASA has inked a new memorandum of cooperation with Air France-KLM that will see the airline group provide “valuable insights to help us shape, refine, and optimize the scheme,” EASA executive director Florian Guillermet explains. Air France and KLM will each assess and test EASA’s new FEL portal, provide emissions-related data and participate in an EASA-guided onboarding process among other tasks, before formally participating in the FEL.
“Air France-KLM is committed to ensuring a true global level playing field,” says Air France-KLM CEO Benjamin Smith. “We are proactively collaborating with the European Commission and EASA, bringing our expertise to the forefront of initiatives like the EU Flight Emissions Label.
“Our early and active participation is designed to help shape a fair, transparent, and effective framework for all airlines. This initiative is a critical component of our broader strategy to lead the decarbonisation of our industry. We will continue to leverage every available tool to reduce our environmental footprint, and we believe that common, transparent standards are essential to support our collective journey towards sustainable aviation.”
By voluntarily participating early in the process, Air France-KLM will benefit from early access to the label’s results and methodologies, as well as reporting and validation processes, adds EASA.
Whilst airlines from both EU and non-EU countries are welcome to voluntarily join the FEL, only those airlines that have joined are allowed to display emissions to their passengers in the EU, under the law. As such, airlines are being encouraged to join the FEL if they want to display flight emissions and use these estimates when offering SAF or other emissions offsets to passengers.
A dedicated logo, displayed alongside flight emissions data, will guarantee that the information is reliable, helping to protect passengers from greenwashing claims, according to the EC. And since the estimations are based on actual consumption data, it will also encourage airlines to operate more efficiently and sustainably, it says.
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