Starting in 2025, flying to Colombia from Europe will be more expensive if you decide to travel on any of the Lufthansa group airlines, a company that shares a code with Avianca and is an ally of Star Alliance.
The increase in rates is due to a new surcharge that the German airline group will implement to cover the costs associated with the use of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). The measures will come into force on January 1, 2025 and will affect all operations departing from countries in the European Union (EU), as well as the United Kingdom, Norway and Switzerland.
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“Starting January 1, Deutsche Lufthansa will apply a supplement that will vary between 1 and 72 euros (approximately between $4,383 and $337,502) per flight, depending on the route and fare selected,” as reported by the airline group through an official statement. This increase is directly linked to EU regulations that will force airlines to integrate at least 2% of SAF in their fuel mix by 2025, which will progressively raise this percentage to reach 70% by 2050.
The Lufthansa group, which includes airlines such as Eurowings, Austrian Airlines, Swiss and Brussels Airlines, reported that these additional costs derived from environmental regulations are unsustainable without a fare restructuring. “The airline group alone will not be able to bear the increasing additional costs that will arise from regulatory demands in the coming years,” Lufthansa stated in its statement.
The measure is not exclusive to Lufthansa. Other large European airlines, such as Air France-KLM, have already started applying similar surcharges. In 2022, Air France-KLM added a surcharge of up to 24 euros ($105,195) on flights departing from France and the Netherlands. Surcharges began to become widespread in the airline industry due to the high production cost of SAF compared to traditional fuels.
The EU demands are part of efforts to achieve net zero carbon emissions in the aviation sector by 2050. This is an ambitious goal considering that aviation is one of the most difficult industries to decarbonize. The regulations, which will come into force in 2025, will force airlines to make significant adjustments to their operations and economics.
According to the airline conglomerate, “the new rate will apply to flights purchased from June 26, 2024 and departing from January 1, 2025.” Lufthansa highlighted that this fare structure not only reflects a commitment to environmental sustainability, but also an economic necessity in the face of the challenges involved in the transition to cleaner energy.
“The increase in rates is a direct response to environmental demands and an effort to maintain the economic viability of aerospace operations,” she added, recalling that lThe application of sustainable aviation fuels is one of the biggest bets for the future sustainability of the industry, although the production and use of these fuels are considerably higher compared to traditional fuels.
The issue led to significant debate within the industry about how to balance these additional costs with the need to keep airline tickets competitive and affordable for consumers.
With the entry into force of these new rates, The cost of flying to and from Europe is expected to experience significant changeswhich will affect both frequent passengers and those who travel occasionally.
