The Swedish government announced Tuesday that it would eliminate a tax on air travel, saying it was necessary to defend the competitiveness of flights from Sweden, a move denounced by NGOs. The tax, which depends on the distance traveled, was introduced by the previous left-wing government in 2018, with the intention of reducing the effects of air travel on global warming.
“If we want to protect the possibility of having good air connections in Sweden and making Sweden an international hub, we have to make sure that we do not undermine the competitive advantage that Sweden can have”Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said at a press conference. “This is in line with long-term climate policy and helps preserve the possibility of travelling across a very large country.”he added. Energy Minister Ebba Busch stressed that only “a minority of countries in the EU had an air transport tax”.
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A decision strongly criticized
The centre-right government, backed by the far-right Sweden Democrats, had previously said it was considering halving the tax. It ultimately decided to eliminate it on 1 July 2025. Environmental NGOs criticised the move, saying it would lead to an increase in flights and therefore greenhouse gas emissions. “It’s completely against the grain, the government is completely abandoning climate policy”Daniel Kihlberg, climate director at the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, told Aftonbladet newspaper.
The government’s climate policy has been criticized several times recently. In March, an agency responsible for evaluating climate policy estimated that the government’s climate policy would cause an increase in greenhouse gas emissions in 2024 and that the targets announced for 2030 would not be met. This is due in particular to the measures announced during the presentation of the 2024 budget, including the reduction in fuel taxes, but also to the lack of concrete measures in the “climate action plan”a four-year roadmap.
