Overview
We are the competent authority in Germany both for EU ETS 1 in aviation and for the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation () of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). Germany has agreed to the CORSIA regulations in the ICAO and has committed itself under international law to implementing CORSIA. This will be implemented quickly and uniformly in the EU for all member states via the Emissions Trading Directive. Aircraft operators not based in the EEA will continue to report only their EU ETS 1 emissions to us in the emissions report.
The EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS 1) covers flights within and between countries in the European Economic Area (EEA) and from the EEA to the UK and Switzerland. The cap, which is roughly at the level of emissions in 2005, will fall by 4.3 percent annually from 2024 and by 4.4 percent from 2028 - the same linear reduction factor as for the stationary sector. The free allocation will expire by 2026 and be replaced by auctioning all emission allowances earmarked for aviation (in addition to 20 million SAF allowances by 2030). A monitoring and reporting obligation for non-co2-effects will apply from 2025; the Commission must report by 2027 on how the non-con2-effects can be mitigated, e.g. through their full inclusion in the EU ETS 1.
Under CORSIA, aircraft operators are subject to reporting and cancellation obligations in their home countries for their international flights. The reporting obligation has applied since 2019. There was no cancellation obligation for the pilot phase of CORSIA in the period from 2021 to 2023, as the sector's international emissions were permanently below the 2019 baseline due to the Covid-19 pandemic. From 2024, the baseline will fall to 85 percent of 2019 emissions, after which carbon offset credits will probably have to be cancelled. For EEA aircraft operators, the list of permitted offets differs from that of the ICAO for various reasons, for example to avoid double counting of emission reductions through more advanced measures. From 2027, participation in CORSIA will be mandatory for almost all countries with the exception of certain developing countries. For routes to and from countries that are not covered by CORSIA and that are not exempt from CORSIA as developing countries, the EU emissions trading 1 rules are expected to apply from 2027.
Flights of all aircraft operators within the European Economic Area (EEA) have been subject to the EU ETS 1 since 2010. Since 2019, the introduction of CORSIA has led to the parallel existence of two systems that overlap on international flights within the EEA. Flights under the EU ETS 1 are subject to a more demanding climate protection target than under CORSIA. To avoid double charging, aircraft operators based in the EEA are exempt from the cancellation obligation under CORSIA for international flights within the EEA.
This chart explains the scope of EU ETS 1/CH-ETS and CORSIA for various categories and flights.
On 07/07/2017, the European Union and Switzerland concluded an agreement on the linking of their emissions trading systems, which came into force on 01/01/2020. For aircraft operators operating flights between the EEA and Switzerland, within Switzerland and also from Switzerland to the UK, this results in a number of special features.
Participant of EU ETS 1 or CORSIA?
In principle, all aircraft operators whose aircraft take off or land on the territory of the European Economic Area (EEA, territory of the EU Member States and Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein) participate in the EU ETS 1. This has been stipulated in Annex 1 of the Emissions Trading Directive.
Flights by aircraft with a maximum take-off weight below 5,700 kilograms are exempt from EU emissions trading. Other exemptions include flights under visual flight rules, rescue, police, military as well as research flights.
In addition, commercial aircraft operators do not participate in emissions trading if they carry out fewer than two flights per day on average within the „extended full scope“ (to be more precise, fewer than 243 flights in the three consecutive four-month periods from January to April, May to August and September to December) or if they emit less than 10,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide () per year in relation to the extended scope. Until 31/12/2030, non-commercial aircraft operators are also exempted if they emit less than 1,000 tonnes of CO2 per year with respect to the „extended full scope“. in principle applies to aircraft operators whose international flights with aircrafts having a maximum take-off mass of more than 5,700 kg generate more than 10,000 tonnes of annual CO2 emissions. In the European Union, the reporting requirements of CORSIA were implemented by means of a delegated regulation of the EU Commission on the Emissions Trading Directive. Accordingly, the reporting requirements only apply to aircraft operators that fulfil all of the following conditions:
- They hold an Air Operator's Certificate issued by a State of the European Economic Area (EEA) or are registered in an EEA State, including the outermost regions, overseas territories and dependencies of that EEA State;
- They generate annual CO2 emissions of more than 10,000 tonnes from aircraft having a maximum take-off mass of more than 5. 700 kg, operating flights between aerodromes in different European Economic Area (EEA) States or flights referred to in Article 2(1) (flights between aerodromes in EEA States and aerodromes in third countries; international flights between aerodromes in EEA States and aerodromes in outermost regions and overseas territories or dependencies of other EEA States; international flights between aerodromes in outermost regions and overseas territories or dependencies of EEA States and aerodromes in third countries or overseas territories or dependencies of other EEA States).
List of Administering Member States
You will find the Administering Member States List below, which features all aircraft operators subject to emissions trading and assigned to an EU Member State, provided they are known to the European Commission. The list stipulates which Member State is responsible for which operator.
List of Aircraft Operators and their Administering Member States (23/03/2023)
FAQ on the scope