Aviation

Airbus, Air France want EU green funds used for jet incentives

Airbus and Air France-KLM have urged policymakers to use EU-backed green stimulus funds to support aircraft sales, according to documents released on Thursday (10 June) by InfluenceMap, an investor-led climate lobbying watchdog.

Airbus tells EU hydrogen won’t be widely used in planes before 2050

Most airliners will rely on traditional jet engines until at least 2050, with the introduction of zero-emissions hydrogen limited to regional and short-range planes, Airbus told European Union officials in a briefing released on Thursday (10 June).

Danish air force acquires two electric planes

The Danish air force will acquire two light electric planes, the defence ministry announced Thursday in what it said was a world first for a military force and part of its efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

Protecting European airlines: lessons from the current crisis

EU member states must learn from the global aviation crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. One such lesson is that the focus placed on internal market rules is crippling the competitiveness of our airlines, argues Pedro Nuno Santos.

UN aviation body to meet over Belarus plane diversion

The UN civil aviation agency will hold an urgent meeting to discuss Belarus after Western powers on the UN Security Council called for the body to investigate Minsk's diversion of a European flight and arrest of a dissident.

France cancels Moscow flight as Russia snubs Belarus bypass

Air France cancelled a Paris-Moscow flight on Wednesday (26 May) after Russia failed to approve a new route bypassing Belarus, the airline said. The French carrier, part of Air France-KLM, scrapped flight AF1154 “for operational reasons linked to the bypassing...

Global aviation stunned by Belarus jetliner diversion

The United Nations’ aviation agency said it was “strongly concerned” by the apparent forced landing of a Ryanair jetliner in Belarus, as global airlines called for an investigation into Sunday’s rare incident.

EU reaches deal on COVID-19 travel passes to save the summer

The European Parliament and the member states reached a provisional deal on Thursday (20 May) on COVID-19 certificates designed to facilitate travel and help revive tourism in Europe.

Urban air taxis will be a reality ‘within three to five years’, EU regulator says

Futuristic aircraft such as air taxis and ambulances will be in flight above European cities within three to five years according to the chief of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), bringing the science-fiction prospect of flying cars a step closer to reality.

EU court backs Ryanair challenge to KLM, TAP state aid

Europe's second-highest court upheld on Wednesday (19 May) Ryanair's fight against billions of euros in state aid granted to its rivals KLM and Transportes Aereos Portugueses (TAP) - rare legal victories for the Irish budget carrier in its battle against airline bailouts.

Germany charges ahead in decarbonising domestic flights with new e-fuel roadmap

One third of fuel used in domestic flights by 2030 will come from sustainable sources, according to a new German roadmap on the market ramp-up of power-to-liquid (PtL) kerosene unveiled on Friday (7 May).

Aviation bosses embrace sustainable aviation fuels as path to green flying

Two of Europe’s leading aviation companies have argued that scaling up sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) is an essential step to decarbonise flying, as hydrogen is not yet ready to be adopted on a large scale.

Fuelling a European recovery: Time to end aviation fuel tax exemption

For years, EU countries have allowed airlines to avoid paying tax on polluting jet fuels. With the climate crisis escalating, it’s time for the EU to put an end to this tax exemption, write Ciarán Cuffe, Anna Deparnay-Grunenberg, Claude Gruffat, and Tilly Metz.

EU considers applying green jet fuel mandate to all departing flights

The European Commission has confirmed that the upcoming ReFuelEU Aviation initiative will impose a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) blending mandate, with the EU executive suggesting it will apply to all flights taking off from European airports, regardless of whether their destination is inside the bloc.

Rail and aviation set for showdown over 2022 ‘European Year of’ status

Rail associations are calling on the European Commission to extend the current “European Year of Rail” designation to 2022 as the ongoing pandemic has disrupted this year's planned activities. But some MEPs argue that next year should be the “European Year of Aviation” to support the struggling airline sector.

France to ban some domestic flights where train available

French MPs have voted to suspend domestic airline flights on routes that can be travelled by direct train in less than two and a half hours, as part of a series of climate and environmental measures.

Airlines could use new EU COVID pass this summer, Reynders tells MEPs

Airlines could check new European Union COVID certificates before allowing onboard passengers going on summer holidays, a senior official said on Tuesday (13 April) as the bloc seeks to restart a travel sector ravaged by the pandemic.

EU planning staggered increase in use of green jet fuel

The EU’s upcoming ReFuelEU proposal, aimed at cutting emissions in the aviation sector, will apply a staggered blending mandate for green jet fuel, with the percentage scaling up in roughly five-year intervals, EURACTIV understands.

Long-haul airlines seek exclusion from EU green jet fuel mandate

The aviation industry is divided on whether an expected EU mandate on green jet fuel should include all flights departing from the bloc or be restricted to inter-EU flights, with the fault line running largely between budget airlines and legacy carriers.

FedEx unveils $2 billion plan to become carbon neutral by 2040

International delivery company FedEx has announced it will invest $2 billion (€1.66bn) to make its global operations carbon neutral by 2040, a task that will involve cutting the emissions of the company’s 70 aircraft and more than 30,000 vehicles operating in Europe.

Auditors to probe potential abuse of air passenger rights during pandemic

The European Court of Auditors (ECA), which monitors European Union spending and management, announced Wednesday (3 March) that it is launching an audit to assess whether the European Commission took sufficient steps to ensure air passenger rights were upheld during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ticket to ride: Vaccine passports divide world

As European Union leaders debated the idea Thursday (25 February) amid claims that it could be divisive and discriminatory, on the global scale, the idea of vaccine passports, which would allow people who have been inoculated the freedom to travel,...