‘Stay Grounded’ calls upon EU for taxing frequent flyers

Stay Grounded, a network of organizations wanting to phase out aviation, calls for a European tax on frequent flyers. This would apply from the third flight per year.

According to Stay Grounded, such a tax could reduce aviation’s CO2 emissions by a fifth and generate billions to invest in the climate transition. Globally, 1% of the world’s population produces 50% of aviation emissions, while approximately 80% have never set foot on a plane.

Gradual increase in price

The network’s report, which Belgium’s environmental organization Bond Beter Leefmilieu participated in, argues that it would be fairer for frequent flyers to pay more for tickets. Therefore, the report examines the introduction of a tax on frequent fliers that would replace the current boarding taxes.

The tax would apply from the third flight per year, after every two single flights taken. It would start at 50 euros per flight and increase to 100, 200, and 400 euros per flight. Additional surcharges are also planned for long-haul flights and seats in business class.

A quarter fewer passenger trips

With such a tax, there would be a quarter fewer passenger trips by 2028, and CO2 emissions from flights would drop by a fifth. The tax would also generate 51 billion euros more for the European Union than current airline taxes.

Specifically for Belgium, the frequent flyer tax would lead to a third fewer passenger trips and a 28% decrease in CO2 emissions. The tax would generate over 1.6 billion euros extra. A third of the population would have to pay the tax at least once.

The money from the frequent flyer tax should be invested primarily in green infrastructure, sustainable means of transportation, and a climate damage fund for vulnerable countries.

The polluter pays

The organizations stress that the proposed high-flying taw will mainly affect “wealthy frequent flyers.” At the same time, most of the population – “72% of Western Europeans” – will not feel anything because they travel by plane once a year.

“While we require households to make major climate efforts, the airline industry barely pays for the climate impact that flying causes,” says Naomi Cambien, mobility policy expert at Bond Beter Leefmilieu. “By taxing the small group – mostly frequent flyers – we can greatly reduce the climate impact of aviation without impacting the majority of citizens.” The environmental organization also advocates a kerosene tax.

To further reduce emissions, Stay Grounded also calls for a ban on private jets, fewer regional airports, and investment in alternatives, such as trains.

The claim that by paying a CO2 offset through a reforestation project, the traveler is also doing something to reduce his carbon emissions has long been criticized by various environmental organizations and experts because it is difficult to determine how much greenhouse gases these planting projects generate.

German aviation sector against taxes

In turn, the German aviation sector calls for reducing air travel taxes. “Flying has to remain affordable,” German Aviation Sector Association (BDL) president Jens Bischof, also CEO of Eurowings, said. The air transport tax must be abolished. Sweden has shown the way.”

Ryanair and certain other airlines are withdrawing from German airports, citing high costs. The key issue is a 25% increase in the tax imposed on May 1st of this year, implying additional costs of between 15,53 and 70.83 euros, depending on distance.

Alarm signals around the climate crisis

Air transport, one of the fastest-growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions, accounts for around 2.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, with flying seen as the most polluting form of travel with respect to emissions.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates that global air traffic could reach 7.2 billion passengers by 2035 and 10 billion by 2050, compared with 4.5 billion in 2019. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) forecasted that by 2050, international aviation emissions could triple compared to 2015.

Recently, scientists warned of a “critical and unpredictable new phase of the climate crisis.” Of the 35 vital functions of the planet, the researcher’s study, 25 are at record levels.