Ryanair’s Global Emissions Are Now 50% Higher Than In 2019, The Largest Increase Worldwide

Ryanair’s global carbon emissions have surged to 50% above 2019 levels, marking the largest increase among the world’s top 20 most polluting airlines. This growth has contributed significantly to the aviation sector’s overall rise in emissions departing from European airports, which in 2025 surpassed pre-pandemic figures for the first time. The airline remains Europe’s most polluting carrier, with emissions equivalent to the entire annual CO₂ output of a country the size of Croatia. In contrast, legacy carriers with extensive long-haul networks have yet to fully recover their emissions to pre-pandemic levels, restrained by slower intercontinental travel rebound. The aviation sector is unique among major European industries in that its emissions continue to rise, increasing by over 30% since 2005, while other sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing have reduced their greenhouse gas outputs. Flights departing Europe now account for nearly a quarter of global aviation emissions, ranking Europe as the third-largest emitting region after Asia and North America. However, Europe is the only one of these regions to have fully recovered its pre-pandemic emission levels, highlighting the sector’s rapid growth on the continent. Despite these rising emissions, two-thirds of European aviation pollution escapes carbon pricing due to structural flaws in the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS). The system currently only covers intra-European short-haul flights, excluding the more polluting long-haul routes operated by legacy airlines. This loophole means that airlines like Ryanair, which focus on short-haul European flights, pay significantly more per tonne of carbon than carriers flying long-haul routes, such as Lufthansa or Emirates, which pay minimal or no carbon costs under the EU scheme. Consequently, some of the most polluting intercontinental routes, including London-New York, remain outside the ETS’s scope. Transport & Environment (T&E) advocates for extending the EU ETS to cover all departing flights, arguing this would close the existing loopholes and generate substantial public revenue to support the aviation sector’s green transition. The carbon market currently raises €4.1 billion annually for EU member states, but a full extension could increase this to nearly €17 billion by 2030. T&E suggests allocating some of these funds towards sustainable aviation fuel production and contrail avoidance technologies, which could deliver immediate environmental benefits and help build capacity for zero-emission aviation. Industry resistance to the ETS has increased amid geopolitical tensions and rising ticket prices, but T&E’s analysis indicates that fossil fuel dependency, rather than climate policies, is the primary driver of cost increases. Fuel price volatility adds significantly more to ticket prices than the ETS or sustainable aviation fuel mandates, especially on long-haul flights where carbon pricing does not currently apply. T&E’s lead analyst Giacomo Miele emphasises that the aviation sector’s unchecked growth and reliance on fossil fuels pose serious environmental risks, and calls for urgent policy reforms to stop subsidising fossil fuel use and invest in sustainable aviation futures.