Flights departing from Belgium will become more expensive again as the Federal Government has announced a second increase in the tax on airline tickets in just four months, as part of its budget agreement.
The embarkation tax – usually referred to as the "flight tax" – in Belgium will increase again in 2027, according to the budget agreement reached at the start of the week. From then on, a €10 tax will be charged for every flight departing from an airport in Belgium.
"We are astonished to see the Belgium's Federal Government ploughing ahead with yet another air ticket tax increase – just four months after the last hike," Ourania Georgoutsakou, Managing Director of Airlines for Europe (A4E), told The Brussels Times.
"Aviation cannot continue to be the punching bag every time governments are strapped for cash," she added.
'Even less competitive'
Earlier this year, the taxes were already raised to €10 for flights shorter than 500 kilometres, and €5 for flights longer than 500 kilometres. Now, the Federal Government is "harmonising" these taxes by doubling the latter – bringing them up to the same level.
The agreement also added an extra increase for short-haul flights: €0.50 will be added to the current €10 tax from 2028 (making the total €10.50), and another €0.50 from 2029 (to €11).
The fact that the tax is being raised once again is a thorn in the side of almost all airlines, from Brussels Airlines to Ryanair, which all state that these costs will have a severe impact on passengers – who will be presented with the bill.
Ryanair stated that doubling this tax would make Belgium "even less competitive" compared with other EU markets such as Sweden, Hungary, and Slovakia. "If Belgium wants to grow connectivity and its economy, it must follow suit, not double a tax that is already holding the country back."
Credit: Brussels Airlines
The low-cost airline's CCO Jason McGuinness said that the government is "once again hammering ordinary Belgian passengers with another reckless aviation tax hike," adding that it will make flying "even more expensive for hardworking Belgian families."
Brussels Airlines, meanwhile, said that Belgium is "bucking the trend," and pointed to the previous increase only dating back to July. "Italy and Germany have lowered their air travel taxes, Sweden has abolished them," Nico Cardone, a spokesperson for the company, told The Brussels Times.
"Connectivity is the most important of all. Why is Brussels the capital of the EU? Because it is very easily accessible. People can get here easily," he added. "Other countries have made these calculations and decided to turn away from these taxes. But not Belgium."
Brussels Airlines cannot afford the additional tax out of its own pocket and will therefore have to pass it on to passengers, said Cardone.
Flying high?
Airlines for Europe's Georgoutsakou stressed that "people vote with their wallets when they fly, and aviation taxes hurt families and businesses and depress economic growth."
"Germany, Sweden, and Italy have reversed course on these counterproductive taxes," she said. "Why does Belgium insist on doubling down on tried-and-tested failed policy?"
Even after the increase, the air passenger tax in Belgium will remain low compared to the Netherlands, where the rate will rise sharply starting 1 January: all flights up to 2,000 kilometres will then be charged €29.40 per ticket. The UK Government is also raising the rate starting in 2026.
The Federal Government has high expectations for the air passenger tax revenue. By 2027, the increase is expected to generate €168 million annually. By 2029, this should rise to €189 million, De Tijd reports.
However, whether the tax will effectively yield that much remains to be seen.
