In 2021, the UK Government provided airlines with free carbon permits worth of roughly 242 million pounds (US$297 million), enough for the entire industry to avoid a carbon emission cap and trade regime, according to research released by Transport & Environment (T&E).
The European non-governmental organization pointed out that the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS) gave airlines 4.4 million free allowances in 2021, while the sector only surrendered 3.4 million back, meaning that UK taxpayers paid the whole cost of aviation industry emissions.
