The UK Civil Aviation Authority has launched a consultation intending to make clearer the environmental information consumers could expect to see when booking commercial flights.
Alongside stipulating that metrics should be reported in standard units (such as kg of CO2, or CO2 estimated per journey), the regulator will also be assessing “how the information should be standardised and consistent across the industry and outlets that sell flights”.
Tim Johnson, director of policy at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said that “providing consumers with accessible, transparent, and accurate information is essential to making more informed travel choices;” adding that “this initiative is a significant step towards greater transparency and improved sustainability in the aviation industry”.
Key criteria to be considered by the draft consultation includes the requirement for environmental information to be accessible, transparent, accountable and accurate, specific, timely, consistent, standardised, comparable, and which can be used to drive continuous improvement.
The proposals follow a previous call for evidence from the regulator in 2023, which was used to inform the draft principles “for airlines and other companies that advertise or sell flights to follow when calculating and providing environmental information to consumers on their flight”. The consultation is available via the UK CAA’s website and will run until 15 October 2024.
