European airlines dominate upper rankings in CAPA-Envest global airline sustainability benchmarking

More than any other region globally, Europeans are engaged with the concept of sustainability. According to the EU statistics agency Eurobarometer, EU citizens believe climate change is the single most serious problem facing the world, with 93% considering it to be a 'serious' problem, and 78% considering it to be 'very serious'. As a percentage, 94% of Europeans say protecting the environment is 'important' to them, and 53% say it is 'very important'.

This concern about sustainability has an impact on consumers' behaviour around travel and tourism. A Eurobarometer survey from Oct-2021 found a large majority of EU citizens (82%) are prepared to change at least some of their travel and tourism habits to be more sustainable. This includes choosing transport options based on their ecological impact (36% of respondents), paying more in order to protect the natural environment (35%), and contributing to carbon-offsetting activities (34%).

It should not be particularly surprising that European airlines are among the leaders when it comes to the sustainability and the environmental performance of their business.