Before their departure on vacation, the deputies of the room approved a measure which will concern many travelers: the increase in the boarding tax on plane tickets. If you plan to travel soon by plane from Belgium, know that this tax will already apply, especially for flights of more than 500 kilometers.
The boarding tax was established in 2022 by the government with two objectives: on the one hand, encourage the use of the train, considered to be more ecological for short distances; On the other hand, bringing funds to the state, the tax that has already generated around 20 million euros per year.
So far, its amount depended on the distance: 10 euros for flights of less than 500 kilometers – typically destinations like London, Paris, Amsterdam, Geneva or Frankfurt -, and from 2 to 4 euros for longer flights. From now on, there will only be two categories of prices: still 10 euros for short flights (less than 500 km), and 5 euros for all flights from 500 km, towards destinations like Spain, Portugal, Greece, Morocco or Turkey.
This new tax only concerns the first leg. This means that, overall, the price of your plane ticket will increase, even if you bought it several months ago. It will probably be necessary to settle the difference at the time of boarding, according to the terms of each company. Some airlines, such as Brussels Airlines, also say they cannot fully pass on this tax on their customers, which could affect their profits of around one million euros.
Initially, this measure should have come into force on July 1; However, it will only enter into application at the time of its publication in the Belgian instructor, slightly delayed by the parliamentary procedure.
