The European aviation industry is facing significant scrutiny over misleading climate-related claims, a practice commonly known as greenwashing. A recent analysis conducted by the pan-European consumers organisation BEUC, involving 17 air carriers, revealed that many airlines have misled passengers by suggesting that flying is more eco-friendly than it genuinely is. This constitutes a clear breach of existing EU rules, leading BEUC Director General Agustin Reyna to assert that "Travellers are lulled into believing they are choosing a sustainable transportation rather than a highly polluting one."

Aviation contributes up to four percent of all greenhouse gas emissions within the European Union, highlighting the substantial environmental footprint of the sector. Recognizing this, BEUC filed a complaint with the European Commission in 2023, accusing European airlines of greenwashing and engaging in unfair commercial practices by overstating their environmental credentials. A year later, the Commission initiated a probe into 20 firms concerning these deceptive green claims, an investigation that remains ongoing.

Despite the commencement of the EU probe, a subsequent report published by BEUC, coinciding with the Paris Air Show, indicated that minimal changes have occurred. While some airlines, such as Norwegian airlines and Wizz Air, have removed or amended certain climate-related marketing claims (Norwegian removed all such claims during booking, and Wizz Air eliminated an option touted as carbon offsetting), other adjustments have often been superficial, involving only changes in wording or color codes. Reyna emphasized that "These improvements should not hide that greenwashing is still widespread."

Airlines for Europe (A4E), an industry association, has acknowledged the importance of clear and transparent information regarding sustainability and stated its engagement in discussions with EU bodies to address these concerns. However, BEUC’s analysis, which included prominent carriers like Air France and Lufthansa, found that many companies continue to offer "green" fares. These fares often charge passengers more for purchasing carbon credits or contributing to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

Critics argue that carbon credits do little to genuinely offset a flight's climate impact, and sustainable aviation fuels are not yet widely available. Current EU regulations only mandate carriers to include a mere two percent of SAF in their fuel mix, further complicating the efficacy of such claims. Additionally, BEUC noted that airlines frequently oversell their long-term sustainability goals, contributing to the broader issue of greenwashing, which is defined as companies using deceptive claims to convince the public that their products or operations are environmentally friendly.