Eco-tax plan leaves Air France fuming

摘要

French transport minister Elisabeth Borne on 9 July disclosed plans for an eco-tax on tickets for flights from the country - but the move is already facing opposition from Air France and its main pilot union, as well as airline body LATA, which describes the proposal as "misguided". The plan comes amid an intensifying debate over whether aviation should continue to benefit from a decades-long exemption on tax on kerosene, given increased awareness of climate change. France is one of the countries pushing the EU to look at changes to aviation taxation. "We have decided, like other countries, to implement an eco-tax on flights from France," says Borne. However, the move has drawn criticism from Air France, which notes that it operates 50% of its flights from its home nation. "This tax would significantly penalise Air France's competitiveness, at a time where the company needs to strengthen its investment capacity to more rapidly reduce its environmental footprint, notably as part of its fleet renewal policy," says the carrier.