As of April 1, 2023, Belgium will increase taxes on short-haul flights and private jets to reduce noise and air pollution, as reported by Reuters. Currently, the air traffic tax varies according to the noise of the aircraft during take-off and landing. The higher the noise, the higher the tax. As of today, private jets are excluded from this regulation.
According to the European Business Aviation Association, business aviation represents 12% of all air traffic in Belgium (3,000 flights per year). The average pollution created by a private flight user is between 5 and 14 times higher than that of the commercial traveler, and 50 times that of the train traveler.
There are almost as many commercial aircraft fleets (26,000) as private ones (22,000). Just 1% of air travelers account for 50% of global aviation emissions. The US is responsible for the vast majority of private flights, according to McKinsey.
The noise pollution experienced by residents near Brussels National Airport cannot remain as it is.
Georges Gilkinet, transport minister
The new measures are seen as an attempt to curb global warming and use the fiscal income to develop other means of sustainable transportation. It is not yet clear whether the new fiscal legislation will reduce the number of short-haul flights or only increase ticket prices. The amount of the planned taxes is not yet known, which makes it difficult to forecast the effects.
Neighboring France has decided to ban short-haul domestic flights. The decision has been approved by the European Commission, as reported by Euronews. The ruling applies to flights between cities connected by a rail journey of under two and a half hours. Routes between Paris Orly, Nantes, Lyon and Bordeaux will be the first affected. In addition, France will be limiting private jet use for short journeys.
France’s 2021 Climate Law introduced the plans but the legislation was initially contested by the country’s Union of Airports (UAF) and the European branch of the Airports Council International (ACI Europe), causing the referral to the European Commission.
France has the highest number of private jets in Europe, loaded by frequent trips between Paris and the French Riviera. Research by environmental campaign group Transport and Environment (T&E) found that ten percent of 2019 departures were by private jets and half of those were journeys of less than 300 miles.
Defending the new short-haul rules, transport minister Clément Beaune was reported as saying the country could no longer tolerate the super-rich using private planes while the public are making cutbacks to deal with the energy crisis and climate change. He said he was “proud that France is a pioneer in this area” and hailed the decision as “a major step forward in the policy of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”
In April of this year, Belgium introduced a new boarding tax. the tax is 10 euros per ticket if the final destination from Belgium is located less than 500 km as the crow flies from the airport of departure (excluding transit). A 2-euro tax is added if the final destination from Belgium (excluding transit) is more than 500 km as the crow flies but within the European Economic Area (EEA); and 4 euros outside the EEA.
