The European Regions Airline Association (ERA) is sounding the alarm after the Dutch government’s decision yesterday to raise air ticket taxes from 1 January 2026.
This move will make the Netherlands the most expensive country in Europe for air travel – pushing passengers across the border, cutting routes and weakening competitiveness. It risks diverting traffic and carbon rather than reducing emissions, while starving airlines of the resources needed to invest in decarbonisation.
The Netherlands is not alone. Austria, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Portugal and most recently France have all introduced or increased similar levies. The French example shows the consequences clearly: many routes have already been cancelled, with connectivity and regional cohesion paying the price.
The timing could not be worse. Just one year on from Mario Draghi’s competitiveness report, the EU is under pressure to boost growth and investment. Yet national policies like these go in the opposite direction: fragmenting the single market, penalising consumers and undermining Europe’s ability to compete.
ERA echoes the wider aviation sector’s warning.
ERA’s Director General, Montserrat Barriga, said:
“Ticket taxes are short-term political fixes with long-term damage. They do nothing for the environment as they are not reinvested in green policies, but they do harm connectivity, affordability and jobs. What Europe needs is support to accelerate the green transition not policies that weaken the sector and hurt passengers. Air travel is a lifeline for Europe’s regions. Governments must stop eroding it.”
Image copyright Manikyam Mahi