L'Increased solidarity tax on air travel adopted by the French National Assembly on 8 November has provoked consternation and anger in the airline industry. However, it excludes the French overseas departments and territories (DROM) and Corsica.to take account of the specific situation of these destinations.
MEPs added a clause specifying that this tax increase is temporarily limited to one year. But if it is as temporary as the CSG or the car tax sticker were in their day, there is cause for concern...
As a result, the additional billion euros that this increase will bring in is considered to be " an unprecedented attack on the French airline industry, its jobs, its competitiveness and its long-term future".several trade unions have denounced in a letter. They describe this tax as deadly and job-destroying.
French airlines at a disadvantage
The unions believe that raising this tax will in fact result in higher ticket prices and risk depressing demandThis is at a time when the economic climate for airlines is gloomy. What's more, the the French flag appears to be at an even greater competitive disadvantage - particularly on long-haul routes.
Example of the tax effect. Let's imagine a passenger travelling from Paris to Singapore. On a direct flight from Paris, they will pay a tax ranging from 40 to 120 euros depending on the class chosen. If, on the other hand, he decides to fly via Istanbul, for example, a fee of between €9.50 and €30 will be charged. The unions in France believe that this type of measure particularly favours Middle Eastern airlines. Air France has anticipated the tax increase by including it in its ticket prices.
The Syndicat national des pilotes de ligne (SNPL) calls for strike action on Thursday 14 November. The strike is expected to be supported by all the unions in the sector. At the same time, the SNPL is calling for a rally in front of the National Assembly following the vote by MPs to increase taxes on air transport. There is already talk of further strike action over the festive period...
A rail strike in the Netherlands on the morning of 13 November
As the airline industry prepares to go on strike in France on 14 November.., the Netherlands will also see a three-hour strike on part of the rail network. Particularly in the 'Randstad', which includes the cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht. No high-speed trains will be able to run on the high-speed route between Rotterdam, Schiphol and Amsterdam. This will affect Eurostar trains. Timetables have been adapted accordingly.
However, Schiphol airport will benefit from four trains per hour to Amsterdam Centraal.. But they are likely to be overcrowded. The Dutch railways are therefore asking passengers to plan alternative ways of getting to the airport.
Even if it is short-lived, the strike is likely to have repercussions throughout the day. However, the impact should be less by mid-afternoon.
