France is planning to increase taxes on airline tickets to support investments in train infrastructure, aiming to make rail travel more appealing.
France is set to raise taxes on airline tickets as part of a strategy to bolster investments in train infrastructure, with the goal of enhancing the attractiveness of rail travel. Transport Minister Clément Beaune has indicated that these heightened taxes are slated for implementation in 2024 as part of the budgetary measures.
The primary objective driving this tax augmentation is to tackle the challenge of airfares frequently being more economical than train fares, thereby fostering increased funding for railway enhancements. Minister Beaune has also brought up the potential introduction of a European tax on aircraft fuel (kerosene) in the upcoming months. He stressed that the viability of such a tax from an environmental perspective would be crucial, and any implementation would require consensus among all European Union member states.
As part of its efforts to promote train travel during the summer season, France’s state-owned railway operator, SNCF, has introduced reduced-price tickets targeting specific demographics, including young individuals. Furthermore, France has recently imposed restrictions on domestic flights for routes that can be efficiently covered by train within 2.5 hours. However, the implementation of this ban comes with numerous exceptions, leading to the cancellation of only three domestic routes.
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