Radical aviation tax plans proposed

Radical aviation tax plans that would raise air fares in Britain were proposed today by a key government transport advisory body.

Radical aviation tax plans that would raise air fares in Britain were proposed today by a key transport advisory body.

An international agreement on airspace congestion charging was one of the proposals put forward by the British Commission for Integrated Transport (CfIT).

If adopted, the proposals would introduce tough noise, congestion and pollution charges on airlines, with these charges passed on to passengers.

But the commission added that further work would be necessary to fully understand aviation costs and to assess “the impact of our recommendations on passenger demand and airport expansion options”.

Government-funded, but independent, CfIT has been critical of the Government’s 10-year transport plan and has also recommended radical anti-congestion measures for the roads.

In its report, published today, the commission said that airlines were responsible for far more pollution than they were held accountable for.

It added that airlines’ responsibilities should be extended to congested runways and airspace, local environment, health effects, greenhouse gases and land blight.

CfIT added that passing on these costs to the airlines was both in line with the British government’s view that the “polluter pays” and encouraged airlines to raise their standards further.

CfIT chairman Professor David Begg said: “The success of the UK aviation industry is vital both to the UK economy and our way of life but we must make sure that its contribution is a responsible and sustainable one.”

He went on: “Airports have a huge impact on the communities they serve as well as on the environment at large and we need to make sure that, in a world of growing demand, environmental impact is kept to a manageable minimum.

“What we are proposing is nothing short of a radical reform to make operators and passengers confront the environmental consequences of their actions. At the moment there is little incentive for airlines and passengers to change their behaviour.”

The report’s recommendations included:

:: Take-off and landing slots should be auctioned to manage peak-time demand.

:: The British government should push for international agreement on airspace congestion charging.

:: Greenhouse gases caused by aviation should be targeted at the international and domestic level.

:: Noise charges or tradable noise permits should be introduced – based on time of arrival and departure.

:: Land remaining vacant because of noise nuisance should be included in external costs.

:: The impact of flights on local habitats should be monitored and influence flight path trajectory.

The commission pointed out that passengers at UK airports tripled in the 20 years to 2001, rising from 50 million to 162 million. Future forecasts showed demand rising by between 4-5% a year with fare prices expected to fall.

The report also said that 10 years ago the aviation industry worldwide was responsible for 3.5% of all human-cause climate change emissions – the equivalent of the UK’s entire greenhouse gas emissions. By 2050 it is forecast to rise dramatically to 15% of the world total.

The commission added that the the current airport departure tax (Aviation Passenger Duty) raises £800m (€1.1bn) a year. But this is only just over half the £1.4bn (€2bn) cost due to climate change emissions the industry is responsible for in the UK, let alone the cost of the remaining impacts.

Prof Begg said: “Much more account needs to be taken of the congestion on runways and in the air, local environmental impacts, health effects, greenhouse gases and land blight.

“By auctioning slots, setting ceilings on noise, putting a cost on congested airspace and giving local communities more control over the local noise and environmental impacts, aviation will be able to develop in harmony with the communities it serves.”