Airline ads banned over ‘greenwashing’ allegations.

Ads by Air France, Lufthansa and Etihad Airways have been banned for misleading consumers about the airlines’ environmental impact.

Air France’s announcement said it was “committed to protecting the environment” and Lufthansa urged passengers to “fly more sustainably”. The union’s declaration used the phrase “defense of the environment.”

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said the ads did not show airlines’ impact on climate change.

Lufthansa and Etihad Airways have removed the ads.

The ASA said Air France had not provided an “objective response” to its investigation. It did not respond to the BBC’s request for comment.

The advertising watchdog said that because Air France claimed it had enabled people to “travel better and sustainably”, customers would believe the airline was offering a sustainable and environmentally friendly way to travel by air, which was not true.

The ASA investigates advertising by companies suspected of overstating their environmental friendliness, known as “corporate greenwashing”.

Lufthansa said the phrase “flying more sustainably” was a reference to the “green fare” option for passengers on European flights. This used some sustainable aviation fuel and contributed to climate protection projects, she said.

Lufthansa told the BBC that it aims to become carbon neutral by 2050. It said it had taken the decision to remove the phrase “flying more sustainably” from future advertising.

Etihad Airways said it immediately removed all references to “defending the environment” from its paid ads on Google Search, after receiving the complaint. She told the BBC that sustainability was a “major priority”.

The advertising watchdog said it picked up the ads using an artificial intelligence (AI) system, which uses technology to search for potential rule-breakers.

In March, the airline Make change fly The campaign was found to have misled consumers into believing that the airline had already taken steps to ensure that the environmental impact of its business was not harmful.

Lufthansa responded that the purpose of the announcement was to address the need to reduce aviation’s environmental impact and educate consumers, but the ASA supported the decision. She said air travel produced high levels of carbon dioxide and non-carbon dioxide emissions, which contribute significantly to climate change, a statement she reiterated on Wednesday in her latest ruling.

Companies are under greater scrutiny than ever for reducing carbon emissions, with airlines under particular pressure to reduce their footprint.

In November, the first transatlantic flight of a large airliner powered solely by so-called sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) took off from London to New York.

It was seen as proof that an environmentally friendly way of flying could be found. But SAF accounts for less than 0.1% of jet fuel consumed worldwide, and there are currently no dedicated commercial plants in the UK.

The UK government plans to require 10% of aviation fuel to be used by the SAF by 2030.

Correction: This article has been updated after a previous version suggested that Emirates had been affected by the ASA ruling.