BRUSSELS/COLOGNE/PARIS/AMSTERDAM, July 11, 2025 — The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and Air France-KLM signed an agreement to launch the airline group’s preparations to partner on the EU Flight Emissions Label (FEL). Air France-KLM is working closely with experts from EASA to implement the label as a means to enhance communication on the decarbonisation strategy to passengers, with the final goal of securing a competitive edge in the industry.

The airline group signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) with EASA, thereby providing a structured framework for Air France and KLM to assess and test the end-to-end digital FEL portal and receive reliable information from EASA about the two airlines’ flight emissions data before formally participating in the FEL under Regulation (EU) 2024/3170. The Air France-KLM voluntary move reflects the group’s commitment to decarbonise its operations. The group will also benefit from early access to the label’s results and methodologies, as well as reporting and validation processes.

Apostolos Tzitzikostas, Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, stated: “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.”

Florian Guillermet, Executive Director of EASA, stated: “We are delighted to reach a new milestone on the Flight Emissions Label with the support of Air France-KLM. As a result of this agreement, the airline group will be providing valuable insights to help us shape, refine, and optimise the scheme to prepare for its wider implementation”.

Benjamin Smith, CEO of Air France-KLM stated: “Air France-KLM is committed to ensuring a true global level playing field. We are proactively collaborating with the European Commission and EASA, bringing our expertise to the forefront of initiatives like the EU Flight Emissions Label. Our early and active participation is designed to help shape a fair, transparent, and effective framework for all airlines. This initiative is a critical component of our broader strategy to lead the decarbonisation of our industry. We will continue to leverage every available tool to reduce our environmental footprint, and we believe that common, transparent standards are essential to support our collective journey towards sustainable aviation.”

The Regulation that put the Flight Emissions Label (FEL) in place was adopted in December 2024 by the European Commission and aims to empower passengers with information on flight-related emissions, allowing them to make informed decisions when booking and comparing flights. The label will also increase accountability within the aviation sector by establishing a harmonised emissions calculation methodology, data reporting, and emissions display for all airlines in the European Union. Building on a fully digitalised process, FEL will also reduce the administrative burden for the sector.

The FEL 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 Regulation (EU) 2023/2405 “ReFuelEU Aviation”, can voluntarily join the 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 FEL if they want to display flight emissions and use these estimates when, for example, offering sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) or other emissions offsets to passengers.

The Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) will support the internal decision-making process within the aircraft operators through a guided onboarding process performed by EASA experts. This will allow the group to have an initial pre-assessment of the label values generated, as well as an indication of the efforts involved. As part of this, Air France-KLM will test the digital channels as the EASA Flight Emission Portal, the data reporting process, and the administrative effort required.

For its part, Air France-KLM voluntarily agrees to provide emissions-related data under Article 3 FEL to support the assessment and indicative generation of flight emissions pursuant to Article 5 FEL. The data submitted will include, in accordance with Article 3 FEL, actual flight performance data, such as the aviation fuel consumption and time per flight, the average load factors and freight carried, as well as the amount and type of aviation fuels (fossil kerosene and SAF) consumed per airport. This will enable the prospective coverage of emissions labels for upcoming operations.

Article 14(1) of Regulation (EU) 2023/2405 (ReFuelEU Aviation) establishes a voluntary environmental labelling scheme enabling the environmental performance of flights to be measured, open to all aircraft operators falling within the scope of that Regulation. Under the referred Regulation, EASA is responsible for implementing and overseeing the ‘Environmental Labelling scheme for Aviation’.

On 18 December 2024, the Commission adopted Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/3170, laying down detailed provisions concerning the voluntary environmental labelling scheme for the estimation of the environmental performance of flights.