Belgium has announced increases to its air passenger tax rate over the coming five years. The fee will be raised to €10 per departing passenger for all flights from 2027, and in 2029 another increase will take the charge to €11 per departing passenger.
The move represents the second time Belgium’s De Wever coalition has put up the tax, which has already been raised from €2 or €4 to €5 for flights over 500 km in distance. Short-haul flights are currently subject to a €10 fee, which is also due to increase by €0.50 in both 2028 and 2029. The measures are anticipated to bring in additional revenues of up to €184 million per year.
The industry reaction has not been positive. Carriers have not welcomed the change, with Europe’s biggest airline, Ryanair, going as far as accusing the Belgian government of making the country “one of the least competitive markets in Europe” with what is effectively a tax increase of 250%. Comparing Belgium’s regime unfavourably to that in Germany, Sweden, Hungary, and Slovakia, Ryanair’s CCO Jason McGuinness said Belgian authorities were “once again hammering ordinary Belgian passengers with another reckless aviation tax hike.” Implementing these multiple increases will “drive away traffic, harm tourism and destroy jobs,” meaning that “Belgium will ultimately generate less revenue than it would if it were pursuing a growth policy,” the airline said.
Brussels Airlines spokesperson Nico Cardone echoed that sentiment, saying the tax is “against the trend.” Brussels Airlines pointed to countries such as Germany, which is set to lower its tax in June 2026, Italy (which still applies fiscal levers through local taxes), and Sweden, which is cancelling an aviation tax that caused flights to drop by nearly a third after its introduction in 2018, according to aviation data firm Cirium.
At the same time, the Belgian flag carrier used the topic of green taxes as an opportunity to call again for improved high-speed rail links to Brussels Airport, which it says would encourage passengers to take the train instead of ultra-short-haul connecting flights, such as those from Brussels to Paris.
Belgium is not in fact the only European country grappling with aviation taxes, environmental promises, and sustainability. After Dutch authorities proposed raising their air passenger tax by 2.9 percent from €29.40 to €30.25, Marjan Rintel, CEO of KLM, said the move would make the Netherlands “the most expensive country in the European Union for air travel, no matter the distance.” Research carried out by KLM indicates 74% of flyers would consider flying instead from Belgium or Germany, if it meant they could avoid taxes in their home country.
