Dutch aviation taxes are set to rise from 1 January 2026, in a move that will boost government revenues by almost a quarter of a billion euros in the short term, and by €1.1 billion annually in the long run, while making the Netherlands the most expensive European Union country for air travel, according to critics.
The proposed 2.9 percent hike will increase the basic Dutch air passenger tax from €29.40 to €30.25, says the ANVR (Royal Dutch Airline Traffic Authority), adding less than a euro onto the fee and raising funds for environmental protections and sustainable aviation measures. Yet consumer champions and aviation stakeholders argue the increase will instead disrupt ecological efforts within the sector, as well as make flying more exclusive.
The real issue, according to some, is a Dutch plan set to come into force in 2027 that will create three different tiers of air ticket tax, depending on the length of the flight. Under that scheme, there will be no change for short-haul flights up to 2,000 km, while medium-haul journeys between 2,000 and 5,000 km will be taxed at €47. Long-haul passengers on flights over 5,500 will pay €70,86 per person.
Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam is a major international hub, ranked earlier in 2025 as the second-best European airport for direct connectivity (behind Istanbul) by airport organisation ACI Europe, thanks to its “excellent connectivity” and extensive long-haul network.
But now Olivier Jankovec, director general of ACI Europe, says: “Raising aviation taxes is the textbook example of short-term political thinking. Ticket taxes harm the benefits that airports provide for citizens and national economies.” Jankovec claims “taxing aviation diverts resources away from the massive investments required to achieve net-zero. What we need is government support to accelerate this transition, not policies that weaken the sector and penalise consumers.”
Similarly, Ourania Georgoutsakou, managing director of Airlines for Europe (A4E), contends that “these unjustified tax rises have been shown to serve neither the passenger nor the climate. It simply makes the Netherlands less attractive as a place for business and tourism. Passengers continue to travel, but to another destination.”
Research conducted by Dutch carrier KLM shows 74% of Dutch nationals would consider flying from neighbouring Belgium or Germany to avoid paying more for flights departing from the Netherlands, which Marjan Rintel, CEO of KLM, says is “the most expensive country in the European Union for air travel, no matter the distance.” However, it is unclear if the KLM survey or responses take into account recent aviation tax increases announced by Belgian legislators, or the fact that German aviation taxes are tiered in much the same way as the Dutch proposals.
