Tax on airline tickets wins sky-high public support

Almost half of respondents backed a levy of CHF30 for short-haul flights and CHF120 for long-haul flights Keystone / Salvatore Di Nolfi

Almost three-quarters (72%) of respondents to a Swiss survey are in favour of increasing the price of airline tickets for climate reasons.

In the event of an introduction, 42% of respondents back a levy of CHF30 ($30.40) for short-haul flights and CHF120 for long-haul flights; 50% agreed with higher charges. Younger people were more sceptical, with most tending towards the lowest possible tax.

The representative survey was conducted among roughly 1,000 people by market research institute GfS Zurich and published by the NZZ am Sonntag newspaperExternal link. It was commissioned by the environmental organisation Umverkehr.

It found that 75% of those questioned wanted the revenue from the tax to go towards Swiss climate protection projects; 55% were in favour of using the money to support international rail transport.

An air ticket tax was part of the CO2 law rejected by the electorate in June 2021. Parliament subsequently rejected several parliamentary initiatives on the subject. In March the House of Representatives demanded a report from the government on how CO2-neutral flying can be achieved by 2050.