Information on flight emissions
The CO2 Act and the associated CO2 Ordinance stipulate that from 2027, providers of flight services (e.g. airlines, travel agencies and online tour operators) must state the emissions expected to be caused by each flight they offer (Art. 7a CO2 Act).
This information indicates to passengers the climate impact the flight is likely to have, so they can choose whether to adjust their travel behaviour accordingly.
Greenhouse gas emissions from air traffic within Switzerland and from international air traffic from Switzerland to destinations abroad amounted to 5.12 million tCO2 equivalents in 2023, calculated on the basis of kerosene sales.
In 2021, the greenhouse gas footprint, i.e. the total amount of greenhouse gases produced in Switzerland and abroad (including air traffic) to meet domestic final demand, was around 13 tonnes of CO2 equivalents per capita. The threshold value based on the planetary boundary is less than 0.6 tonnes of CO2 equivalents per capita and year.
Carbon emissions from aviation are currently believed to have the greatest long-term effect on the climate. Besides greenhouse gases, aviation emissions contain pollutants that have a warming or cooling effect on the climate.
Switzerland's greenhouse gas inventory provides comprehensive information on greenhouse gas emissions from aviation and their impact on the climate:
Greenhouse gas emissions from aviation
Information on emissions from Swiss civil aviation can be found on the Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) emissions page:
An example of the approximate gas and particle emissions from an aircraft during one hour of flight (2020 figures) are given in the Federal Office of Civil Aviation factsheet ‘Was bei Triebwerken hinten herauskommt’ (de, fr, it):
How must emissions be shown in flight offers?
Article 14a of the CO2 Ordinance specifies what emissions information must be provided, where and for which flights:
An implementation guide will be created, summarizing the most important points for concrete implementation.