The government's budget announcement of a special taxation for airports (as well as on the motorway concession companies) should irremediably result in a rising air fares.
The government estimates that this green tax should bring in 600 million euros per year. This sum will be used to modernise the rail network in particular.
For airports, the green tax of 4.6% is based on the fraction of revenues exceeding €120 million. The tax will hit France's largest airports in terms of passenger traffic. In this case, Paris airports and airports...
The government's budget announcement of a special taxation for airports (as well as on the motorway concession companies) should irremediably result in a rising air fares.
The government estimates that this green tax should bring in 600 million euros per year. This sum will be used to modernise the rail network in particular.
For airports, the green tax of 4.6% is based on the fraction of revenues exceeding €120 million. The tax will hit France's largest airports in terms of passenger traffic. In this case, Paris airports and the airports of Nice, Marseille and Lyon.
ADP indicated in a press release that if the text is adopted in its current wording, and subject to the annual approval of tariffs, the group believes that its impact to 120 million euros. The Paris airport authority would in fact pay around 90 million euros after deducting certain items of expenditure.
Vincithe operator of Lyon airport and several motorways, believes that the additional cost would be in the region of 260 million euros in relation to the 2022 financial year. However, Vinci points out that this amount relates almost exclusively to motorway concession companies. Whatever the cost to these major companies, they will pass this tax on to airport charges. And, in Vinci's case, on toll rates.
For its part, the Fédération Nationale de l'Aviation et de ses Métiers (FNAM) pointed out that the imposition of this tax will increase the cost of using France's main airports. It will affect France's appeal and competitiveness of airlines based in its territory.
More expensive plane tickets
It is true that the government has ruled out an increase in the eco-tax on airline tickets for the time being. But the increase in airport taxes on tickets will more than make up for it. We don't yet know how much it will represent on a journey. But it is likely to be at least ten euros. It should therefore satisfy the government's desire to make air travel more expensive.
It is not certain that Article 15 on the budget will be adopted in its current form. Airports and motorway companies announce various legal actions. The airports' argument is distortion of competition between platforms. If the green tax will indeed affect ADP, thus affecting the hub of the national airline Air France, what about theBeauvais airporthome of low-cost carrier Ryanair and exempt from this new tax? A new battle begins...