Sweden wants to index landing fees to fuel used

At a time when many countries are considering taxing air travel to help the climate, Sweden is considering an original solution, far from the punitive measures discussed elsewhere.

An incentive to use biofuels

Airports levy a tax every time an aircraft lands: the landing tax. The purpose of this tax is to contribute to the maintenance and development of infrastructure.

The Swedish government is now planning to base this tax on the type of aircraft and, above all, the fuel used, to encourage the use of biofuels. In this configuration, aircraft using biofuels would be taxed less than others.

Today, airports index landing fees to the weight of the aircraft, regardless of the fuel used, its emissions or its environmental efficiency.

Incentive taxation

The Swedish approach is a first, and goes against the grain of what we see everywhere else, particularly in France.

Indeed, other countries seem to favor, as part of their environmental policies, a uniform increase in taxes, or even an increase proportional to the class of travel, which would amount to taxing aviation uniformly and passengers according to their purchasing power, without any environmental logic.

In contrast to these “blind” and punitive approaches, Sweden favors an incentive-based approach.

Starting this summer in Stockholm Arlanda and Gothenburg Landvetter

The measure is still being studied by the government, but should start to be applied this summer at the country’s two biggest airports, Stockholm Arlanda and Gothenburg Landvetter.

Images : SAS plane by LSF_3steps via Shutterstock