A leading French pilots union is calling for strike action this Thursday to protest against a government proposal to triple the levy on flight tickets as part of wider plans to plug a hole in France's state budget. The planned increase is set to raise up to €1 billion a year for the government, but unions say it will lead to job losses.
The strike notice – which concerns Air France as well as other carriers with pilots on French labour contracts – comes as the government tries to push through its draft budget for next year, despite lacking a majority in parliament.
"This additional tax will ultimately lead to tens of thousands of job losses in France," the SNPL union said in a statement on Sunday.
"This social disaster will go hand in hand with the weakening of French operators or those operating regularly in France compared to their European and international competitors," it added.
The government's proposed increase in the aviation levy will apply to flights to or from France as from January 2025, but exclude France's overseas territories and Corsica.
The price of an economy class ticket would go up between €2.60 to €9.50 per passenger for flights within Europe and up to €40 for long-haul flights.
Business class tickets for long-haul flighs could see increases of up to €120.
A contested solidarity tax
The increases reflect an urgent need for more tax income with environmental aims.
Tripling the current levy, particularly for long-haul flights, is designed to generate additional revenue of €1 billion next year.
The measure has been included in the current version of the draft belt-tightening budget through an amendment.
However, it's become the subject of political haggling between a hung National Assembly, the conservative-controlled Senate and Prime Minister Michel Barnier's government, so it's unclear if the levy will be part of the final budget text.
In May, a strike by air traffic controllers at Orly airport over staffing shortages led to major flight disruption, but it remains to be seen how many pilots could walk out on Thursday or how flight schedules might be affected.
The proposed tax hikes have sparked anger in the aviation sector more widely.
On Thursday, Air France-KLM reported a bigger-than-expected drop in its quarterly operating result and warned that this year's costs would be higher than previously projected.
Air France-KLM said that France's proposed hike of the solidarity tax on flight tickets could hit its operating result by €90 to €170 million in 2025.
"Direct consequence could be higher fares which could make air travel less accessible to customers in our own market," group CEO Benjamin Smith told reporters.
(with newswires)
