UK watchdog bans adverts by three airlines over ‘misleading’ environmental claims

Stay informed with free updates

Simply sign up to the Airlines myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox.

The UK advertising watchdog has banned adverts by three airlines as part of a crackdown on companies overstating their environmental credentials.

The Advertising Standards Authority said on Wednesday that recent adverts on Google by Air France, Lufthansa and Etihad had breached the UK’s advertising code by “giving a misleading impression of the advertiser’s environmental impact”.

Among a string of recent enforcement actions on environmental grounds, the ASA earlier this year banned adverts by a group of oil and gas companies.

Air France’s advert said the airline “is committed to protecting the environment: travel better and sustainably”, but the ASA said it could find no “evidence demonstrating that Air France were protecting the environment and making aviation sustainable”.

In Lufthansa’s case, the regulator said the airline had not properly explained a claim in its advert that customers could “fly more sustainably”. The airline said this was a reference to its “Green Fares” option, which offers passengers the chance to reduce their environmental impact through a mix of cleaner fuels and carbon offsets.

Etihad’s advert said customers could travel “with . . . total peace of mind” and mentioned the airline’s “environmental advocacy”.

But the ASA said it “had not seen any evidence that they were engaged in such advocacy, or that they actively worked to protect the environment in a way that meant consumers could use their services with ‘Total Peace Of Mind’ with regard to the environmental impact of doing so”.

Lufthansa and Etihad have removed their adverts following the ASA’s action, which said that Air France had not “provided a substantive response” to its inquiries.

Lufthansa said it had set itself “ambitious” decarbonisation goals, and that it “regretted” that the advert in question had not provided more details on its sustainability claims.

The aviation industry is under growing scrutiny over its role in climate change and is responsible for about 2 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions.

Aviation emissions rose in 2022 to reach nearly 80 per cent of their pre-pandemic peak in 2019, according to the International Energy Agency. Emissions are expected to rise further as the industry recovers from the impact of the pandemic and travel restrictions.

The International Air Transport Association, which represents airlines, has committed to reaching net zero by 2050, chiefly by switching to newer and less polluting fuels. But these are scarce and expensive.

Air France-KLM and Etihad did not immediately respond to a request for comment.