Ryanair takes carbon tax out on passengers

RYANAIR has come up with another way to charge its passengers, announcing a new 50 cent charge on each return flight so it can fund the cost of what it describes as an “eco-loony” EU tax.

MEP Jim Higgins described their latest stunt as “a complete joke”. “Next thing Ryanair will introduce an EU safety charge, as the EU has imposed certain safety standards which all airlines have to meet, and there is a cost involved in respecting those same standards. I wonder is Mr O’Leary suggesting that airlines should have no regulation at all by the EU?”

According to Ryanair, the new “levy” will be charged on each seat sold from next January to cover the projected €15 million-€25m they expect to pay because of CO2 emissions from their airline fleet. A company spokesman said: “This latest EU stealth tax will damage traffic, tourism, European competitiveness and jobs at a time when no other economic block is including aviation in their ETS [emissions trading] schemes.”