Date Published: 05/04/2023
ARCHIVED - Flights between the UK and Spain will increase by 18 euros, say travel experts
A plane ticket from London to Barcelona will rise due to new EU emission rules
At the end of last year, the European Council agreed to tougher regulations on CO2 emissions for both the air and maritime transport sectors, with airlines warning that flight prices in 2023 could increase by around 5.5%. This week, S&P Global Ratings has done the math and warned holidaymakers of just how much air travel is set to cost.
According to their figures, a plane ticket between London and Barcelona will soon go up by about 18 euros while travelling from the UK to New York will become a whopping 90 euros more expensive, and that’s each way.
The trouble, S&P believes, is that there’s really no cheap alternative to fossil fuels and as the cost of jet fuel rises and the EU cuts down on free polluting allowances, airlines have no choice other than tacking on the extra expense to tickets.
Investing in low-carbon and no-carbon energy is pricey, but the EU is standing firm on its goal of reducing carbon emissions to a maximum level of 55% by 2030. Part of this process will be cracking down on the airlines in the coming years.
As a result, the experts believe that many of the “weaker” European carriers will simply be unable to lower their emissions, but has also pointed out that flying actually only contributes 2.5% of global CO2 pollution.
"The contribution is small compared to other sectors" such as energy, which contributes 40%, or industry, with 16%,” S&P pointed out.
However, the number of plane passengers worldwide is expected to grow by 3% before 2040, so it’s a climate issue that is only going to intensify.
This situation leaves European airlines all European airlines "widely vulnerable," the expert added, and in all likelihood, carriers will begin focusing on destinations outside the European Economic Areas, such as Iceland, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, to cut down on costs.
In other news: Shock as passenger dies on flight from Spain to the UK
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