They may be vastly outnumbered, but first-class passengers leave a far heavier footprint on the planet than the crowds in economy. That is the stark conclusion of a new analysis released by Greenpeace, which delivers a blunt prescription: tax first class.
According to a new pan-European study by the T3 Transportation Think Tank, conducted on behalf of Greenpeace’s Central and Eastern Europe office, travelers flying first and business class account for just 14% of long-haul passengers—yet they are responsible for more than a third (36%) of all emissions generated by these flights.
A climate levy on luxury travel
To address this imbalance, Greenpeace proposes the introduction of a minimum climate levy on long-haul airline tickets sold in Europe: 220 euros for Business Class, 340 euros for First Class, and 75 euros for Premium Economy. The measure could generate at least 3.3 billion euros in annual tax revenues, without increasing costs for the vast majority of travelers.
Greenpeace argues that money from taxing luxury air travel should be reinvested in public benefits such as cheaper public transport or affordable climate tickets.
In 2023, at least 19 million long-haul premium seats were sold from Europe, even though first- and business-class passengers emit four to five times more CO₂ per kilometer than economy travelers.
Despite this disproportionate impact, luxury flights face no EU-wide climate charges, prompting Greenpeace to call for targeted levies on first- and business-class travel.
Herwig Schuster, Transport Campaigner at Greenpeace Central and Eastern Europe, puts the disparity into perspective:
“A single one-way first-class flight from Frankfurt to New York causes as many greenhouse gas emissions as an average EU citizen produces in an entire year.”
A slow shift, but momentum building
So far, only a handful of countries—including France and the United Kingdom—have begun taxing first- and business-class airline tickets. Spain, meanwhile, announced at the recent COP30 summit that it would support the introduction of such fees through the Global Solidarity Levies Task Force.
“The time has come for governments to put an end to this outrageous climate inequality,” Schuster concludes. “They must ensure that the super-rich pay their fair share—starting with fair taxes on luxury flights.”
