Airlines are currently seeking €26bn in bailouts according to tracking from by Greenpeace, Carbon Market Watch and Transport and Environment (T&E). Governments have so far agreed €11.5bn in financial aid and a further €14.6bn is under discussion, but none of this aid comes with binding environmental conditions.

Air France-KLM will receive up to €11bn in financial aid from the French and Dutch governments, while Germany has reportedly agreed to plough €9bn into Lufthansa. Whilst Air France’s loan guarantee comes with non-binding requests to reduce emissions on domestic flights and buy more fuel-efficient planes, there is no request to tackle pollution from non-domestic flights, which are responsible for 90 per cent of airline emissions in Europe. Furthermore, Germany’s environment minister has already indicated that now is not the moment to ‘green’ a Lufthansa bailout, adding “but there will be a time after the crisis”, and European Commissioner for Competition boss Margrethe Vestager has opposed greening the EU’s guidelines for public support.

Lorelei Limousin, Greenpeace EU climate campaigner, said: “Injecting taxpayers’ money into one of the world’s most polluting industries - with no strings attached - makes no sense at all. Without binding conditions, airlines are already threatening to dump thousands of staff and continue to pump out massive amounts of climate-wrecking emissions. If the European Green Deal means something, short-haul flights have to go and investments need to roll out more clean alternatives like trains.”

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