Overview
- The Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf ruled on Dec. 5 that Eurowings misled consumers with online claims about CO2 compensation and barred the specific phrasing used (Case No. I-20 U 38/25).
- Eurowings had offered a €9 booking add-on to fund climate projects, which the court said could wrongly suggest that all climate-harmful effects of a given flight were neutralized.
- The panel cited slogans such as 'The future of CO2-neutral flying is one click away' as giving a false impression of climate-neutral travel.
- The court found Eurowings’ wording about supporting Sustainable Aviation Fuel not misleading, partially upholding the consumer group vzbv’s appeal after an initial defeat in Cologne.
- A revision was not admitted, though a non-admission complaint is possible, and the judges noted EU greenwashing rules taking effect in September 2026 will prohibit such compensation claims; Eurowings is among 21 airlines that pledged in November to curb similar statements.