European airlines say EU climate rules raise operating costs versus non‑EU rivals

Ryanair, Lufthansa, Air France‑KLM, IAG and easyJet claim that EU climate regulations increase their operating costs compared with competitors outside the EU.

The EU Emissions Trading System currently covers mainly intra‑EEC routes plus the UK and Switzerland, and the Commission proposed in July to extend it to certain international flights from 2029; IAG wants to revise the 2030 schedule because of high costs and low synthetic fuel production, airlines prefer strengthening CORSIA over a unilateral ETS extension, and IATA rejected overlapping regional systems while calling for ETS revenues to fund sustainable fuels and new technologies.