Belgium Introduces New Airline Tax, Raising Ticket Prices to Morocco

Controversy around the new "Belgian boarding tax". This tax had been announced last fall and was only confirmed on March 24, 2022 by the Belgian government before coming into effect last Friday, reports Air Journal. This "boarding tax" amounts to 10 euros for all flights whose destination is less than 500 km as the crow flies from the busiest Belgian airport (Brussels-Zaventem); 2 euros for flights over 500 km to the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or Switzerland; and 4 euros for destinations over 500 km and outside these European countries (long-haul therefore), it is specified.

The implementation of the tax, based on the date of the flight and not on the date of booking, is not to the liking of the airlines Brussels Airlines, TUI Fly Belgium and Air Belgium, as well as the Belgian Air Transport Association (BATA). The latter are already expressing concerns. According to the explanations of the spokeswoman for Zaventem Nathalie Pierard on April 1 on RTBF, travelers "who are leaving today, tomorrow and the next few days have already booked for some time. The airlines obviously cannot now go and get this difference in amount, this tax, from the passengers who have already booked, who have already paid." But the reality is quite different. Customers of the low-cost airline Ryanair claim to have received an email demanding payment of the tax (in the amount depending on their destination). The company explains that "even if a passenger has booked their flight before March 25, we have to pay this tax to the Belgian government," we can read in the correspondence.

In an interview with Routesonline, Peter Gerber, CEO of Brussels Airlines, says "he understands that many European countries have higher taxes, but this is being introduced during what remains the worst crisis the aviation industry has ever known," and "not in a professional manner." For its part, IATA has denounced the timing of the Belgian boarding tax. Its introduction "in such a short time is a blow to airlines that are slowly recovering from the pandemic," it says. This new tax will bring in more than 5 million euros per year for the Charleroi airport alone, Adrien Dolimont, the Walloon minister in charge of airports, had estimated in February.