Lufthansa CEO warns against German “solo attempts” to curb aviation emissions

The head of Germany’s largest airline Lufthansa, Carsten Spohr, has warned that the country’s aviation sector is facing huge difficulties due to higher state charges. “I worry greatly about the connectedness of the country as a business location,” Spohr told tabloid Bild.

National “solo attempts” to reduce the sector’s greenhouse gas emissions, for example a quota for e-fuels in aviation, would make Germany less attractive compared to other locations, especially as e-fuels are not available at scale, Spohr said. This meant that airlines were considering moving parts of their activities abroad, the CEO argued.

“More and more airlines avoid German airports and cancel important connections,” he added. Spohr said that regulating aviation this way would do “enormous damage to our economy”, which Germany and the EU could not afford. The country’s national aviation industry association BDL estimated that the state-induced costs for a regular medium-distance journey in Europe to amount to about 30 euros per passenger, accordig to the article.

Lufthansa subsidiary Eurowings recently announced it would cut its offer in Germany by about 1,000 flights per year and relocate them to other countries in Europe. Budget airline Ryanair in the past week announced it would reduce its offer in Germany due to increasing operating costs caused by regulation, for example a higher aviation tax.

A working group made up of government officials and industry representatives focusing on climate-neutral aviation in June called for a clear commitment by political leaders and industry to the market ramp-up of sustainable aviation fuels as well as several other key measures to reduce the sector’s greenhouse gas output.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz said last year that Germany should strive for a establishing climate-neutral aviation industry, arguing that participating companies will have “a good future” in the country.