Airline emissions in Europe top pre-Covid levels despite pledge to decarbonise

Emissions from flying in Europe have now passed pre-pandemic levels, with Ryanair’s carbon footprint 50% higher than in 2019, research has shown. Total aviation emissions continue to increase despite industry pledges to decarbonise and the introduction of more fuel-efficient planes, driven by the massive expansion of low-cost carriers. According to analysis by thinktank Transport & Environment (T&E), Ryanair’s CO₂ emissions alone in 2025 reached 16.6 megatonnes (Mt) of CO₂ – around the same amount as the total annual emissions of a small European country such as Croatia. The airline carried just over 200 million passengers in 2025, compared with 140 million in 2019. The entire European aviation sector emitted 195Mt of CO₂ in departing flights last year, a 2% increase on levels before Covid paused international travel . Although the EU and the UK have tried to manage some of the environmental costs through the emissions trading system (ETS), T&E said the system does not price in most of the sector’s pollution, as it only includes flights entirely within Europe. That means long-haul flights on legacy carriers’ aircraft, which burn more fuel, are outside its scope. Airlines operating predominantly within Europe pay more under the system – Ryanair pays an average of €50 (£36) a tonne of carbon, while Lufthansa pays about €20. London-New York traffic alone generated nearly 1.4Mt of CO₂ in 2025, but is not drawn into the ETS. …