France to impose green tax on all outbound flights
July 9, 2019
All tickets for outbound flights from French airports will include a green tax from 2020. It is expected to raise €180 million a year, which will pay for more environmentally friendly means of transportation.
Image: Reuters/Charles Platiau
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France will introduce an eco-tax of up to €18 ($20) on all tickets for flights flying out of French airports to fund less-polluting transportation projects, Transport Minister Elisabeth Borne said on Tuesday.
The tax, estimated to raise around €180 million a year, will come into effect in 2020 and calls for a fee of €1.50 on economy-class tickets for domestic flights and those within Europe. The highest tariff of €18 per ticket will be applied to business-class travelers flying outside the bloc, Borne said.
It will only be applied on outgoing flights and not those flying into the country, Borne said.
Environmentally friendly air travel? Electric planes of the future
Flying in planes is bad for the climate. Do we need to give up flying for our environment? Not if electric planes being developed see success. Here's what the futuristic inventions look like.
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Small, lightweight and emissions-free
Planes powered with renewable energy don't produce CO2 or other climate-damaging emissions such as nitrogen oxide and particles. They are smaller, lighter and more efficient than planes powered by kerosene. The Alpha Electro from the Slovenian start-up Pipistrel is already proving this since 2015, when it had its maiden flight.
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Hop on the flying bus
Most companies and scientists see the future of electric planes in regional transport. The Israeli start-up Eviation plans to revolutionize commuting with their nine-seater. The prototype Alice can fly for up to 650 miles (1,000 kilometers), and will take to the sky in 2019 for the first time, according to the company.
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Up, up and away
The flying taxi of the German company Lilium had its first successful flight in April 2017. The five-seater can take off and land vertically, has a reach of 190 miles and travels from London to Paris in just an hour. The goal of the company is for people to one day be able to order their flying cab via app for the price of a regular taxi ride.
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A mix of old and new
Some plane manufacturers don't dare go all-electric just yet. In November 2017, Airbus, Rolls-Royce and Siemens announced they will jointly develop a commercial hybrid-electric prototype. The e-Fan X will be powered by three gas turbines and one electric motor. The companies aim to replace a second gas turbine with another electric motor at a later stage. A prototype is anticipated to fly in 2020.
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Orange goes green
As part of British budget airliner EasyJet's plans to become more climate-friendly, it has entered into a cooperation with the United States startup Wright Electric. The goal is to develop a completely electric-powered plane for up to 150 passengers. It's not known yet when we can expect to see a first prototype.
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Electric future
Experts believe that we could be flying in electric planes within 20 years. Various prototypes companies are working on have a range of a 155 to 650 miles. But technology is developing at an ever-faster pace. Who knows? One day, we might be able to travel around the world in emission-free planes completely powered by renewable energy. There's hope for all environmentally conscious travel addicts!
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Airline shares fall
Shares of Air France and Lufthansa extended losses and were down 4.5% and 2.5%, respectively, immediately following the announcement.
French carrier Air France said it opposed the planned eco-tax, saying it would cost the company €60 million per year.
A similar tax was introduced in Sweden in April 2018, which imposed an added charge of up to €40 on every ticket in a bid to lessen the impact of air travel on the climate.
In Germany, a green tax of flights adds €8 to tickets with domestic, EU or North African destinations. Tickets for flights to destinations up to 6,000 kilometers (3,730 miles) away have an extra charge of €25; that charge goes up to €45 for tickets to destinations more than 6,000 kilometers away.
French President Emmanuel Macron's government has wanted to tighten environmental regulation, but had to abandon an attempted tax increase on diesel fuel late last year following the "yellow vest" protest movement.
France wants the new European Union Commission to push for an end to global tax exemptions for jet fuel, in order to reduce carbon emissions, and has teamed up with the Netherlands to try and convince fellow European nations to tax airline travel more.
