The European Union (EU) is set to propose expanded regulations for its carbon pricing system.
Under the scheme, flights across a 5,000km radius from the centre of the bloc would be subject to pay €80 per tonne of carbon emitted. This charge was introduced across Europe in 2012.
If the proposal is implemented, flights to and from Turkey and the Middle East would be subject to the charge, but journeys to the Americas and Far East would not.
As far back as 2012 the EU has been trying to carbon price international aviation. However, these initial proposals faced significant opposition from the US and China, the world’s two biggest aviation markets.
2026’s proposals would bring more than half of European aviation into carbon pricing, while conveniently excluding the US and China. Reporting from the Financial Times suggested the EU was hesitant to impose carbon pricing on these two nations when geopolitical relations are already strained.
If all departing flights were included, the international pricing scheme could have raised €4.2 billion in revenue. Instead, 47% of flights will be unaffected while European and Middle Eastern airlines shoulder the increased costs.
The Commission remains open to expanding the scheme in future, but as things stands the 5,000km compromise seems to be the best they could achieve.
Aviation accounts for roughly 3% of all global emissions. Some work has been done within the industry to become more sustainable, notably on reducing fuel burn and contrails. Nevertheless, as the scaling of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) remains well below the necessary levels, net-zero ambitions seem to have stalled somewhat.
As unprecedented heatwaves and dangerous wildfires continue to sweep Europe, an expansion of carbon pricing, albeit on a curtailed scale, could be an effective incentive for greater international collaboration and radical change.
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