German airline group Lufthansa is launching an environmental surcharge for all flights departing from Europe. The surcharge will apply on all the group’s airlines, including Brussels Airlines.

In a press release on Tuesday, Lufthansa Group announced that it will implement an environmental surcharge on all its airlines. The surcharge will range from 1 to 72 euros, depending on distance and class of travel. At Brussels Airlines, the environmental surcharge will be a maximum of 36 euros, a spokeswoman said. The surcharge will apply to all passengers departing from the 27 European Union member states and from the UK, Norway and Switzerland. It will be charged on bookings from Wednesday, for all travel from 1 January 2025.

According to Lufthansa Group, the environmental surcharge should help the company cover increasing costs arising from environmental regulations. Among other things, it points to the EU obligation to add more sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to traditional paraffin from 2025, even though it is much more expensive. Adjustments to the European Union’s Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) also play a role. 

Lufthansa Group says it already invests billions every year to make flying more sustainable, but that it is unable to bear all the rising additional costs due to regulatory requirements alone. Part of that expected cost for the year 2025 is therefore to be covered by the new environmental surcharge.

 

© BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK

 

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