The new “tax on the operation of long-distance transport infrastructure“, announced by the French government in the 2024 finance billwill reduce the airport investments in their environmental transitionwarnsUnion of French Airports (UAF).
The tax will concern, alongside motorway companies, airport managers and will concern more precisely airports whose turnover (turnover) excluding T2S (airport security and safety tariff) is greater than 120 million euros annually and whose profitability is greater than 10%. The rate of 4.6% will apply to the part of the turnover above 120 million euros. The tax will therefore affect the ADP group and the regional airports of Nice, Marseille and Lyon in 2024.
“While airports are struggling to emerge from one of the harshest crises in air transport (2023 traffic has not yet reached the level of 2019), and they have already had to drastically reduce their investments to continue operating. during the Covid-19 crisis, they now have to invest massively in the energy transition (decarbonization of airport activities and preparation of infrastructure for the decarbonized aircraft of tomorrow)“, recalls the UAF in a press release.
“The tax certainly calls into question airports’ investment programs in decarbonization. The new tax also calls into question the attractiveness of the airport sector for private investors. However, public authorities will not be able, on their own, to provide the massive funding necessary for the decarbonization and modernization of French airports.“, adds the UAF.
Also the UAF, which brings together airport managers in France, calls for an abandonment of this new tax which is “in total contradiction with decarbonization objectives” collectively set in the energy transition roadmap for air transport published in February of this year and which will increase the price of plane tickets in the current inflationary context.
“This new tax is contradictory with the acceleration desired by all of the ecological transition of the aviation sector. Deprived of part of their resources, airports will necessarily have to scale back and slow down their investments in the ecological transition and in the modernization of their facilities. It’s not acceptable. The UAF reserves the possibility of legal recourse“, declares Thomas JUIN, president of the UAF.
