Aviation: “France already has exorbitant air taxes”… Ryanair asks the government to abandon its plan to triple the solidarity tax

Ryanair, Europe's largest airline, today (October 31) called on the French government to abandon its plan to dramatically increase the solidarity tax (TSBA), with an increase of +260%.

“The French government's proposal to increase the solidarity tax on aviation by +260% in order to increase tax revenues is short-sighted and ill-conceived,” said Eddie Wilson, CEO of Ryanair in a communicated this Thursday.

For him, this increase “risks further compromising France's air connectivity, as well as tourism, employment and economic growth of the country as a whole.” “The only guarantee that this tax increase will bring will be the loss of foreign direct investment for France to the benefit of other European countries which do not have air taxes, such as Spain, Ireland and Poland, or which are removing them, such as Sweden, Italy and Hungary, which have understood that this is the most effective way to stimulate investment.

“The highest airfares in Europe”

Ryanair deplores this proposal from the Barnier government, indicating that “the French are already facing some of the highest air fares in Europe, and poor regional connectivity due to exorbitant air taxes.”

And the Irish airline is threatening: “France is now at the same level as Germany, a country whose air tax increases have already led Ryanair and other airlines to significantly reduce German traffic for 'summer 2025'.

For Ryanair, “the recovery of post-Covid traffic in France is already well behind other European countries due to its already very high air taxes”. The proposal to triple the solidarity tax will put “France at a disadvantage compared to other European countries, further harming connectivity, tourism, employment and economic growth in France, which have failed to regain their pre-Covid levels”.

The Ryanair press release further emphasizes by recalling that “other European countries such as Spain, Poland and Ireland do not have air taxes, while others such as Italy, Sweden and Hungary , abolish their air taxes to boost connectivity, traffic, employment and economic growth.”

Libération has calculated that the increase in the solidarity tax could lead to an additional cost of 9.50 euros on journeys in Europe, up to 120 euros on a Paris-New York.