Advertising allows the aviation industry to continue their unfettered growth and greenwash their environmental destruction. But there are many ways to fight it. Elaine Baker, member of Children’s Right’s Over Flights, coordinator of ByLandAndSea.ie, explains the dangerous role of aviation advertising in our society and how you can counter it.

The problem of advertising

We are bombarded with ads every day – traditionally ads reach us through billboards in public places, or on the TV and radio but now the advertising industry permeates almost every corner of the internet. While the internet began as a medium of communication and information exchange, and social media began as a way of connecting with each other and following our interests, much of the internet and social media are now designed around the advertising industry. We access “free” services online, however in the process, we are persuaded to spend more and more, including on goods and services which are highly damaging to our world, such as passenger flights and air-freighted goods.

Of course, we may think, as individuals, that we are immune to advertising – that we can just ignore the ads and carry on with our lives.  However, the aviation and consumer goods industries are, of course, not wasting their money by spending it on advertising and sponsorship – it successfully drives their growth (1). As well as nudging individuals into making certain decisions, advertising has the effect of influencing what is considered “normal” and “acceptable” in society. People are influenced, not only by seeing an ad and then directly buying a product straight afterwards, but by the perception drawn from persistent advertising that “everyone else is doing it”. This influences people’s conversations, which in turn drives increased consumption, and further drives what is considered “normal”, in a vicious circle.

Aviation advertising fuels destruction

As outlined in the excellent book “Badvertising” (by Andrew Simms and Leo Murray), aviation was initially promoted as a glamorous and exclusive activity, often with sexist overtones, depicting objectifying images of female flight attendants with wealthy businessmen as the principal characters. Over time, the low cost of flights became a main selling point, enabled by the fact that aviation fuel is not taxed, unlike fuels for other forms of transport. As concerns mounted about the hugely disproportionate and unjust impact of aviation on the climate, the aviation industry responded by greenwashing, deflecting attention, implying that the climate impact is small, that emissions will be solved by technology, all while claiming that endless aviation growth is somehow necessary or good.

Taking action – combatting aviation advertising

Tackling advertising has been an important way to combat the tobacco industry – it was an uphill battle against a well funded industry lobby over many decades, but ultimately it resulted in many successes. Smoking is no longer normalised through advertising and sponsorship, and smoking rates have dropped. Activists are now successfully tackling aviation advertising too.

Legal action against greenwashing

Since the early 2020s, activists have been reporting airlines and airports to advertising standards authorities, and obtaining rulings that the claims of the aviation sector are misleading. This includes legal rulings against claims that significant amounts of so-called “sustainable aviation fuels” are being used, that flights are “carbon neutral” because of offsetting projects, that airlines are “protecting the planet”, are “sustainable” or compatible with a “liveable world”, that airport expansion has limited environmental harm, and that the aviation industry can continue to grow while achieving “net zero by 2050”.  Successful complaints have been made in the Netherlands, Austria and the UK against KLM, Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa, Etihad Airways, Virgin Airlines and Luton Airport (2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9).

You can replicate these wins yourself. At Stay Grounded we have published a toolkit to show you how to spot these misleading ads and explain how you can take action against aviation greenwashing!

Councils, municipalities and cities ban aviation-related advertising

In 2021, Amsterdam banned high-fossil-fuel ads throughout the city centre and in subway stations, including banning ads for flights¹⁰. The movement to ban fossil fuel advertising is growing, with wins documented at the World Without Fossil Ads. Many municipalities and cities are specifically banning advertising of aviation, airlines, flights, flight-based-holidays, and airports as part of their broader bans of fossil fuel advertising, including The Hague¹¹ and Amersfoort¹² in the Netherlands, Saint-Gilles Brussels¹³ in Belgium, and Edinburgh¹⁴ Somerset¹⁵ and Sheffield¹⁶ in the UK.  A larger number of other localities have passed motions and bans on fossil fuel advertising more generally, or on banning advertising which is incompatible with climate targets, which can be interpreted as including aviation and airlines. Could you campaign for your local or national Government to ban advertising of aviation and other high-fossil products?

Ending aviation industry promotion through sponsorship deals

The aviation industry tries to improve its image and gain legitimacy in society through sponsoring arts, sports, education and other positive initiatives, to ensure their brand is recognised and viewed positively. It is no longer accepted in society or in the law for tobacco and alcohol industries to provide sponsorship deals.  There is a growing movement to call on organisations to refuse to accept sponsorship from fossil fuels and the aviation industry too.  For example, after an activist campaign, the Filmmuseum Eye, a museum in Amsterdam, no longer accepts sponsorship or collaboration from KLM¹⁷.  Have you spotted airlines and the aviation sector sponsoring sports, arts, culture in your community? Can you persuade sports and culture organisations to refuse to allow this attempt at legitimisation of climate destruction?

Be part of the movement! The anti aviation advertising movement is growing, you can be a part of it!  To get involved in our work against aviation advertising and greenwashing contact [email protected].

FOOTNOTES:

1. https://www.greenpeace.org/eu-unit/issues/climate-energy/46060/ads-for-cars-and-flights-could-cause-twice-as-much-co2-as-spain/  
2. https://www.worldwithoutfossilads.org/listing/klm-misleads-about-its-biofuel-watchdog-rules/
3. https://www.worldwithoutfossilads.org/listing/lufthansa-green-ads-banned-for-misleading-consumers/
4. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/apr/12/etihad-airways-sustainable-aviation-ads-banned-uk & https://www.worldwithoutfossilads.org/listing/etihad-airways-sustainable-aviation-ads-banned/
5. https://www.worldwithoutfossilads.org/listing/website-texts-by-tour-operator-corendon-ruled-misleading/
6. https://www.worldwithoutfossilads.org/listing/austrian-airlines-co2-neutral-claims-ruled-misleading-by-court/
7. https://www.asa.org.uk/rulings/virgin-atlantic-airways-ltd-g23-1224417-virgin-atlantic-airways-ltd.html
8. https://www.asa.org.uk/rulings/london-luton-airport-ltd.html
9. https://www.clientearth.org/latest/press-office/press/ryanair-delta-lufthansa-easyjet-among-71-airlines-warned-over-potential-greenwashing/
10. https://www.euronews.com/green/2021/05/20/amsterdam-becomes-first-city-in-the-world-to-ban-this-type-of-advert
11. https://www.worldwithoutfossilads.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Translation_The_Hague_local_law_proposal_fossil_ads.pdf & https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2024/sep/13/the-hague-becomes-worlds-first-city-to-ban-fossil-fuel-related-ads
12. https://www.worldwithoutfossilads.org/listing/amersfoort-bans-fossil-ads-for-new-contracts/
13. https://www.worldwithoutfossilads.org/listing/brussels-district-of-saint-gilles-becomes-first-belgian-municipality-to-take-historic-step-against-fossil-fuel-advertising/
14. https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/downloads/file/28994/advertising-and-sponsorship-policy
15. https://adfreecities.org.uk/2023/09/dont-advertise-here-somerset-council-bans-polluting-car-airline-fossil-fuel-ads/
16. https://adfreecities.org.uk/2024/03/new-sheffield-ad-ban-how-councils-act-harmful-advertising/
17. https://www.worldwithoutfossilads.org/listing/eye-filmmuseum-stops-sponsorship-by-airline-klm/