The EU Flight Emissions Label takes a flight forward with first airlines committing to the scheme

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and Air France-KLM have signed an agreement to launch the airline group's preparations to partner on the EU Flight Emissions Label (FEL). This new Memorandum of Cooperation allows Air France and KLM to test the FEL scheme and receive reliable information from EASA about their flight emissions data before officially applying to participate in FEL under Regulation (EU) 2024/3170.

This agreement marks a major advance in making the Flight Emissions Label more widely available. Launched in December 2024, FEL will set out a reliable and harmonised methodology for estimating flight emissions, considering operational factors like aircraft type, passenger numbers and freight volume on board, as well as the amount and type of aviation fuels uplifted per airport. It will also help passengers make more informed decisions when comparing and booking flights among competitors and protect them from misleading greenwashing claims. Ultimately, this initiative will strengthen consumer protection laws within the EU. 

Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, said: “I warmly welcome the decision by Air France and KLM to become the first airlines to join the EU Flight Emissions Label. This decisive step turns their commitment to decarbonisation into concrete action, reinforcing fair competition, transparency, and trust. It also marks a key milestone in the rollout of the EU Flight Emissions Label and ReFuelEU Aviation, while helping to accelerate the uptake of sustainable aviation fuels to cut flight emissions. I encourage other airlines to join this initiative, driving a more sustainable and transparent future for European aviation.”

The Memorandum of Cooperation includes support from EASA experts to guide Air France-KLM through the onboarding process. This will help to pre-assess the emission values and estimate required efforts to implement the scheme, as well as test digital tools such as the EASA Sustainability Portal and relevant data reporting processes.

Background

The Flight Emissions Label provides a trustworthy framework for airlines to share flight emissions data with passengers. Airlines from both EU and non-EU countries, covered under the scope of ReFuelEU Aviation, can voluntarily join FEL. Only those airlines that have joined are allowed to display emissions to their passengers in the European Union, in accordance with Article 6(5) of the Regulation.

The European Commission and EASA encourage airlines to join the Flight Emissions Label, if they want to display flight emissions and use these estimates when, for example, offering sustainable aviation fuel or other emissions offsets to passengers. 

For More Information

Joint EASA – Air France–KLM press release

Flight Emissions Label – EASA website