Airlines now have to pay for some of the pollution they make. This page explains each rule, what it costs, and how the cost works. Almost all of them only charge for CO₂. The clouds and NOx that planes make cause more warming, but the rules are only just starting to cover them. See the EU non-CO₂ entry below.
I update this page by hand. I last checked prices on 24 July 2026. Carbon prices change every day, so use these as a rough guide, not an exact price.
This covers flights inside Europe (the EU plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein). From 2026, airlines get no free allowances. On 17 July 2026, the EU also put forward a new plan. From 2029, it would cover flights to places outside the EU, as long as they are within 5,000km of the middle of the EU. That would pull in flights to North Africa and big Middle East airports. Airlines would only pay the difference on top of what they already pay for CORSIA, so they don't pay twice. On the same day, the EU said it would make the scheme stronger for planes and ships. It also said the cap will shrink more slowly after 2030 (3.7% a year for 2031 to 2035, and 1.7% a year for 2036 to 2040). Some free allowances will stay after 2030 for companies that invest in cutting carbon. And a new €100bn fund, paid for by the scheme, will help industry cut carbon.
What it costsFor every tonne of CO₂ a plane makes, the airline has to hand in one EU allowance. From 2026 they pay for all of it. At about €80 a tonne, a normal single-aisle plane burns about 2.5 tonnes of fuel an hour. That makes about 7.9 tonnes of CO₂. So it pays about €630 for carbon every hour it flies, on top of the fuel. ICAO (the UN body for flying) has said it does not like the new 5,000km plan. So that part is still only a plan, not the law. See how this compares with CORSIA
Works the same way as the EU scheme, with the same limits for small airlines. The UK and EU planned to join the two schemes at their 13 July 2026 summit. If they do, you could use a UK allowance in the EU and the other way round.
What it costsSame deal as the EU: one allowance for every tonne. But the UK has its own market, so the price can be quite different. Right now it is about £72 a tonne, but that could change fast. If the two schemes join, the UK and EU prices should get closer. If the talks stall, the UK price could drop back to about £55 to £60.
Joined to the EU scheme since 2020. You report to both in the same way.
What it costsBecause it is joined to the EU scheme, it has the same price: about €80 a tonne. Nothing extra to work out.
The UN's worldwide plan for flights between countries. From 2024 to 2026, countries could choose to join. From January 2027, almost all of them have to. The starting line is 85% of what airlines made in 2019.
What it costsAirlines only pay for the carbon above the starting line, not every tonne like in the EU. They pay by buying offset credits. These have always been much cheaper than EU allowances, but the market is newer and the price jumps around more. So it costs less per tonne than the EU scheme today. But it covers the whole world, and it becomes a must for most countries from 2027. That is the big change to plan for. See how it works, and try the calculator
Since January 2025, airlines have to track and report their contrails and NOx, not just CO₂. The EU will write a report by the end of 2027. It may then say airlines should pay for these too, starting in 2028.
What it costsRight now it only costs the work of collecting the data and paying someone to check it. The real cost could come later. If the EU starts charging for contrails and NOx from 2028, the carbon cost of each flight could double or more. That is because they cause more warming than CO₂ does (see the ring on the homepage). I would plan for this as likely, not just possible.
Airlines have to mix cleaner fuel (called SAF) into their normal jet fuel. It starts at 2% in 2025 and goes up bit by bit, to 70% by 2050.
What it costsThis one makes fuel cost more. You don't buy permits. In 2024, EASA said SAF cost about €2,085 a tonne. Normal jet fuel cost about €734. So SAF is nearly 3 times the price, and fuel made from electricity (e-fuel) costs even more. At 2%, the extra cost is small across the whole fuel bill. But it grows every time the rule steps up. And no way of making SAF today looks likely to bring the price down to normal fuel.
The UK's own clean fuel rule. It also starts at 2% in 2025. It has its own limits and its own list of what counts. It is different from the EU on fuel made from crops.
What it costsSame as the EU rule: fuel costs more, and you don't buy permits. But you track and report it apart from the EU one. So if you fly UK and EU routes, you have to keep two sets of records, not one.
Airlines that sell tickets don't have to pay if they make less than 10,000 tonnes of CO₂ a year, or fly fewer than 243 flights in a period. Private flyers (most business jets) don't have to pay below 1,000 tonnes a year. Below 25,000 tonnes, they get an easier way to report.
What it costsIf you stay under these limits, you don't have to follow the EU or UK scheme at all. That matters a lot for small airlines and how they set up their fleets. For a business jet company, this is the most important number on the page. It can mean paying the full cost, or paying nothing.
Big companies have to report the carbon from their business flights. This matters if a company owns or hires jets. It is separate from the airline rules above.
What it costsYou don't pay for carbon here. You pay to collect the data and have someone check it. The bigger risk is indirect. Bad flight data can hurt a company's green ratings, and that can make borrowing cost more.