KLM

KLM

22 / 5Eco rating · Below average
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KLM is rated a weak airline for sustainability based in Netherlands. See its verified eco rating and review to help you choose greener flights in Europe.

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By the numbers

The Smart Read

Eco ratingBelow average
2/5
Measured against The Throne Standard
Carbon grade
D
Net zero by
2050
Target basis
group
Home country
Netherlands
Eco score, brand by brandThrone scan
3/5
Air France
3/5
Delta Air Lines
3/5
American Airlines
2/5
KLM
2/5
easyJet
2/5
TUIfly
2/5
SWISS

Every measure, scored

Every figure read from a named source

The airline

About KL

Airline

Who owns it

Fuel and fleet

Booking

Where this airline falls short

Claims, rulings and findings

Offset position: Ruled against or warned by a regulator

A Dutch court ruled in 2024 that KLM misled customers with its Fly Responsibly advertising. Environmental groups had sued the airline for greenwashing over claims that offsets and sustainable fuel made flying sustainable.

Source: bbc.co.uk

Confirmed at the source

What we verified, measure by measure

2/5
Throne rating
Below average
1%
Sustainable fuel in use
of total fuel uplift
13.5
Fleet average age
years, newer burns less
72.9/100
Independent efficiency
atmosfair, not self reported
Not published
CO2 per passenger km
the only like for like figure
2050
Net zero target
target year

Every figure below carries the source it was read from

MeasureFigureSource
Sustainable fuel in use1%airfranceklm.com checked 25 Aug 2026
Sustainable fuel target 2030not publishedno source recorded
Science based targetValidated, but held by Air France KLM, not by this airlineairfranceklm.com
Net zero target2050airfranceklm.com checked 25 Aug 2026
Contrails and non CO2 warmingRunning trials on contrail avoidancetransportenvironment.org
Independent efficiency rating (atmosfair)72.9 of 100no source recorded
CO2 per passenger kmnot publishedno source recorded
Fleet average age13.5 yearsairfleets.net checked 25 Aug 2026
Next generation aircraftnot publishedno source recorded
Load factornot publishedno source recorded
Fuel tankeringnot publishedno source recorded
Single use plasticnot publishedno source recorded
Catering sourced locallynot publishedno source recorded

Checked against the official register

Every certifier this Airline claims, with a direct link to the proof where it exists, or flagged where it is only The airline’s word.

How this score was reached
Scored 27 of 100 points, which is 27% and a band of 2 out of 5 (Below average).

Sustainable fuel in use: 4 of 18 points.
  Figure: 1% of fuel uplift.
  Why: Scored against 5% of fuel uplift for full marks. The global average is under 1%, so 5% is genuinely leading rather than arbitrary.
  Source: https://www.airfranceklm.com/en/sustainability

Contrails and non CO2 warming: 9 of 15 points.
  Figure: trialling.
  Why: Around two thirds of aviation warming is not CO2, mostly contrails, and just 3% of flights cause 80% of contrail warming. Rerouting around the regions where they form costs roughly 1 to 4 euro a ticket, so an airline doing it is making a real choice. No other airline ranking scores this.
  Source: https://www.transportenvironment.org/articles/contrail-avoidance

Independent efficiency rating: 11 of 12 points.
  Figure: 72.9 of 100 points, class D.
  Why: atmosfair rates the 200 largest airlines on CO2 efficiency points from 0 to 100, covering about 92% of global traffic. It is the one figure here that does not come from the airline itself. No airline has yet reached class A or B.
  Source: https://www.atmosfair.de/wp-content/uploads/atmosfair-airline-index-2025-background.pdf

Fuel tankering: 0 of 6 points.
  Figure: not disclosed.
  Why: Carrying extra fuel to avoid buying it at the destination burns more fuel to save money. About one in five European flights involves some tankering, adding roughly 902,000 tonnes of CO2 a year across the continent.
  Source: none recorded, so this measure scores zero rather than being estimated

Science based target: 9 of 15 points.
  Figure: validated at group level, not held by this airline.
  Why: A target validated by the Science Based Targets initiative scores full marks. One held only at group level scores 12 of 20, because it is not a commitment this airline is held to.
  Source: https://www.airfranceklm.com/en/sustainability

Net zero target: 2 of 5 points.
  Figure: 2050, held at group level.
  Why: 2040 or earlier scores full marks, 2050 scores 3, later scores 1. A target the airline has not published itself, covered only by the IATA industry resolution, is capped at 1 because a trade body resolution is not a company commitment.
  Source: https://www.airfranceklm.com/en/sustainability

Fleet age: 4 of 10 points.
  Figure: 13.5 years average.
  Why: Seven years or under scores full marks. A newer airframe burns materially less fuel, which is the single biggest lever an airline actually controls.
  Source: https://www.airfleets.net/ageflotte/KLM.htm

CO2 per passenger km: 0 of 12 points.
  Figure: not disclosed.
  Why: 75g or under scores full marks. This is the only figure that compares two airlines like for like on the same route, and almost none publish it.
  Source: none recorded, so this measure scores zero rather than being estimated

Single use plastic: 0 of 4 points.
  Figure: not disclosed.
  Why: Eliminated scores full marks, reduced scores 6, a stated position with no detail scores 3.
  Source: none recorded, so this measure scores zero rather than being estimated

Onboard catering sourcing: 0 of 3 points.
  Figure: not disclosed.
  Why: Local or farm to table sourcing scores full marks. Hardly any airline discloses this, so it separates the ones that have actually looked.
  Source: none recorded, so this measure scores zero rather than being estimated

Deduction of 12 points: a regulator or court has ruled against this airline environmental claims.
Scoring zero for want of a sourced figure: Fuel tankering, CO2 per passenger km, Single use plastic, Onboard catering sourcing.

Compare

What you would be flying otherwise

How it compares with the airlines beside it

AirlineRatingFleet ageSustainable fuel
KLM2/513.5 yrs1%
Air France3/511.8 yrs1%

A peek at the leaderboard

The airline sustainability index

How the score was reached

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Before you buy

Straight answers

Straight answers

Does buying the carbon offset at checkout undo the flight?

No. A European Commission review found 98% of offsetting schemes support projects that would have happened anyway, and consumer groups have filed a joint greenwashing complaint against 17 airlines over carbon neutral claims. Offsets are treated as a risk flag here, not a credit.

Source: e360.yale.edu

Does it matter which cabin I book?

More than which airline you pick. A business class seat carries roughly three times the emissions of an economy seat on the same flight, and first class about nine times, because the seat takes up more of the aircraft.

Source: climateactionaccelerator.org

Is a direct flight really better than connecting?

Yes. Take off and landing account for about a quarter of a flight emissions, so a non stop saves roughly 20% against a one stop on the same journey.

Source: climateactionaccelerator.org

Why does the rating count contrails when no other ranking does?

Because around two thirds of aviation warming is not CO2, and mostly contrails. Just 3% of flights cause 80% of contrail warming, and rerouting around the regions where they form costs about 1 to 4 euro a ticket. The EU started monitoring non CO2 effects on intra EU flights in 2025.

Source: transportenvironment.org

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The full record of KL

The complete data behind the score

What could not be verified

Not yet verified from a named source: Fleet average age, next generation share, CO2 per passenger km, single use plastic position and catering sourcing.

Who owns it, and whose target this is

Parent group: Air France KLM

Sister airlines: Air France, KLM, Transavia

This climate target belongs to Air France KLM, not to KLM specifically. KLM has not published a validated target of its own, so the group figure is what is being claimed on its behalf.

Source: airfranceklm.com checked 25 Aug 2026

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