Pilots strike Thursday to protest against tripling of air transport tax

The National Union of Airline Pilots (SNPL) is calling for a strike on Thursday, November 14, it reported Sunday, November 10 to Agence France-Presse (AFP). The SNPL is at the same time calling for a rally in front of the National Assembly after the vote by the deputies for an increase in taxation on air transport.

“Against the government's desire to take an additional 1 billion per year from the aviation sector, we call on pilots but also all employees in the aviation sector to mobilize on November 14”declared a spokesperson for the ultra-majority union among pilots. “We call for a rally near the National Assembly at the end of the morning”we added.

The deputies, who are examining the draft 2025 budget, approved on Friday the increase in taxation on air transport proposed by the government, however limiting its duration to one year and excluding overseas and Corsica from the system. . This amendment is supposed to increase air transport taxation by 1 billion euros and come into force on 1^is January 2025.

Concretely, this system will increase the tax rates on plane tickets. For economy class flights, the increase will be from 2.60 euros to 9.50 euros per passenger for a European destination, from 7.50 euros to 15 euros for intermediate destinations, and from 7.50 euros to 40 euros for distant destinations, according to the general budget rapporteur, Charles de Courson.

Employment risk, according to the unions

Friday evening, the general director of Air France-KLM, Benjamin Smith, reaffirmed his opposition and estimated that, by excluding the overseas territories and Corsica from this tax increase, the deputies had ” recognized “ the risks of such a measure for “the competitiveness of French companies”.

The SNPL denounces “a three-fold increase in this tax, without consultation of stakeholders in the sector having taken place”. “While many players in the aviation sector are barely recovering from the prolonged effects of the Covid-19 crisis period, this additional imposition will ultimately lead to tens of thousands of job losses in France”says the union, which asks the government to back down.

On Sunday, the delegate minister responsible for transport, François Durovray, defended this tax increase on Franceinfo: “This tax has, at the same time, the virtue of contributing to the restoration of State accounts, but also an environmental aim” due to carbon emissions from aviation.

Calling for “work towards a virtuous system”he estimated that this tax could encourage airlines “to put more sustainable fuel in planes”welcoming the efforts already undertaken by the French aeronautical industry, but without advancing any direction regarding the availability of sustainable fuel.