France is launching an eco-tax on nearly all airline flights in 2020, so what does this mean for your holiday?
France has introduced an eco-tax on outbound flights from the country. Image by Getty
It’s about to get slightly more expensive. French Transport Minister Elisabeth Borne announced this week that an eco-tax will be applied on all flights leaving the country from 2020.
The tax will be applied as an additional charge per passenger on airline ticket prices and will range from €1.50 (£1.30/$1.70) for short-haul flights within the EU in economy class; €3 (£2.70/$3.40) for flights outside the EU in economy; €9 (£8/$10) for short-haul flights in business class, and up to €18 (£16.19/$20) for long-haul flights outside the EU in business.
The tax will be used to boost green modes of transport like rail and bike travel. Photo by Eric Feferberg via Getty
The tax won’t apply to connecting flights or flights that land in France, only flights that originate from the country. It also won’t apply to outbound flights to Corsica or French overseas territories.
It’s hoped that the eco-tax will generate about €180m (£162m/$200m) for France, which Ms Borne said will be used to boost green travel (i.e. trains and bikes) throughout the country, as concerns mount over airline carbon emissions.
Avec l’éco-contribution, le transport aérien prendra toute sa part au financement des transports du quotidien de tous nos concitoyens.
Elle est une réponse à l’urgence écologique et au sentiment d’injustice qu’ont exprimé les Français. pic.twitter.com/o4qCMaVJSt
— Elisabeth BORNE (@Elisabeth_Borne) July 9, 2019
“With the eco-contribution, air transport will play its part in financing the daily transport of all our citizens,” Borne said via Twitter. She added, “it is a response to the ecological urgency and sense of injustice expressed by the French.”
Earlier this year Sweden introduced a similar tax of €6 (£5/$6.75) per passenger on domestic flights and up to €39 (£35/$44) per passenger on long-haul flights. It followed the development of a movement that’s really taken off in Sweden called flygskam (flight shame), that is the feeling of being ashamed to fly because of its environmental impact.
READ MORE: Five ways climate change will affect your flights
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