Major European airlines including Air France-KLM, IAG, Lufthansa, and Ryanair have jointly urged the European Commission not to extend the Emissions Trading System (ETS) to cover outbound international flights. In a letter to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the CEOs warned that expanding carbon pricing beyond intra-European routes would raise ticket prices and cargo costs for passengers and businesses. The EU is reviewing the ETS next month and currently only applies it to flights within Europe. The airlines argue that extending the ETS would undermine the UN's CORSIA offset scheme, which they prefer as a global alternative. However, the Commission has expressed skepticism that CORSIA alone can drive real emissions cuts, citing a 2021 study that warned the UN scheme may not reduce emissions and could weaken Europe's climate goals. The debate highlights the tension between regional carbon pricing and global offset mechanisms in aviation decarbonization.
