Air traffic - IHK Dresden worries about airport due to ticket tax
The Dresden Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) has criticized the increase in the air traffic tax planned by the German government and fears disadvantages for Dresden Airport. "Airlines are already calculating with a sharp pen and are continuously optimizing their costs. If the prices for passengers increase, smaller international airports like Dresden will suffer the most," explained Thomas Ott, Deputy Managing Director of the Chamber and responsible for traffic. The airport is already struggling with the lower passenger numbers since coronavirus.
According to Ott, the fact that the Federal Ministry of the Interior does not want to stick to the current price cap for aviation security fees is making matters worse. "An increase in fees for individual passengers of 10 to 15 euros may not seem like much at first. However, for an aircraft with 200 passengers, this would result in additional costs of up to 3,000 euros per flight for the airline, which it would either have to bear itself or pass on to the passengers." As private travelers in particular react sensitively to price increases, it is to be expected that people will switch to Prague Airport or other means of transport.
If the capacity utilization of flights decreases even slightly, airlines would quickly cancel flight connections, the Chamber argued. Dresden has already lost important scheduled connections. If more were to be lost, vacation charter traffic would also no longer be economically viable in Dresden. "Dresden in particular, with its unique microelectronics industry and research landscape, but also a magnet for millions of tourists every year, needs high-performance air connections if it wants to maintain its attractiveness," emphasized Ott.
Due to the budget crisis, the traffic light government wants to raise the so-called ticket tax on passenger flights. This affects all passenger flights taking off from German airports. The ticket tax introduced by the black-yellow government in 2011 brought in almost 1.2 billion euros in revenue for the state in 2022. Depending on the final destination of the flight, between 12.73 euros and 58.06 euros per ticket are due, which providers generally pass on to passengers. The German government now wants to generate additional revenue from the tax in an amount that compensates for the waiver of the national kerosene tax.
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- Concerns about the impact on Dresden Airport have been raised by the Federal Ministry of the Interior, with the German government planning to increase the air traffic tax.
- The air traffic tax increase, along with the Federal Ministry of the Interior's decision to not adhere to the current price cap for aviation security fees, could lead to additional costs for airlines and potentially pass them on to passengers.
- If the ticket tax and airport fees increase, it could discourage travelers from using Dresden Airport and opt for alternative options like Prague Airport or other modes of transportation.
- The IHK Dresden warns that a potential decrease in flight capacity utilization could result in airlines canceling flight connections, leading to further losses for Dresden Airport and the surrounding Saxony region.
- The Federal Government's proposal to raise the ticket tax on passenger flights, following a budget crisis, would impact all flights departing from German airports and generate additional revenue for the state to offset the abolition of the national kerosene tax.
- As the air traffic tax is a significant source of revenue for the German government, and the ticket tax is usually passed on to passengers, the Saxony-based aviation sector, including Dresden Airport and its associated air traffic, will likely be affected by these changes in taxes and fees.
Source: www.stern.de
