The impact of the plane tax project (2 to 10 euros per ticket) currently being debated by the Belgian federal government is estimated at an additional cost of more than 5 million euros per year for low cost companies operating at the airport of Charleroi (BSCA), according to the Walloon Minister in charge of Airports, Adrien Dolimont.
At Liège airport, the impact would be much more modest, at some 190,000 euros per year, based on the number of passengers registered in 2019. “This new tax will inevitably impact the passenger flight companies present on the airport. all Belgian airports. One of the possible impacts is the increase in the price of plane tickets, which could lead, particularly for Charleroi airport, to a slowdown in the economic recovery“, warns the minister, in committee of the Walloon parliament.
“Such an increase could also lead airlines to continue their developments from airports located in neighboring countries,” said the minister, for whom “the timing for the implementation of this new measure is not ideal. given the current challenges and at a time when our airports are making every effort to initiate their recovery“.
This tax will nevertheless be collected by the federal state: “the airports will therefore not bear the weight of the collection of this tax with, moreover, the negative impact that this could have had on their commercial relations“. On the other hand, the Minister has already announced that the Walloon government will support any European taxation of kerosene in order to boost the reduction of greenhouse gases linked to aviation.
