Austrian aviation body calls for scrapping country's flight tax
Austria's Aviation Industry Austria umbrella group wants the national flight levy abolished or sharply cut, arguing it puts the country at a disadvantage to neighbours. The government has announced a 30 million euro relief package, which the group calls a first step only.
Aviation Industry Austria, the country's aviation industry association, wants the flight tax abolished outright or at least cut substantially. It argues the levy leaves Austrian carriers and airports less competitive than those in neighbouring countries, and notes that among them only Germany imposes a comparable charge.
Passenger figures are the group's evidence. Vienna airport recorded 4.5 percent fewer travellers between January and September, while traffic at nearby Bratislava more than doubled over the same period. The association reads this as flights shifting abroad.
It estimates that removing the tax would draw around 2.5 million extra passengers a year. On its figures that would add roughly 188 million euros in value creation and 2,500 jobs. The resulting fiscal gains of about 210 million euros would exceed the 160 to 180 million euros the tax currently raises, the group says.
A relief measure of 30 million euros has been announced. The association welcomes it as a first step but considers it insufficient.
Sources
- aerotelegraph.comÖsterreichs Luftfahrtbranche fordert Abschaffung der Flugabgabe