The government of Suede announced that it would eliminate the tax on airline tickets from July 2025 in a bid to promote air travel across the country and improve its accessibility.
The measure, announced this Tuesday at a press conference and reported in the newspaper Daily Newswas criticized by the opposition, although the airline industry welcomed it.
According to the government’s calculations, the tax abolition will result in a reduction in the price of flights. In concrete terms, this will be a reduction of approximately 82 Swedish crowns (7.20 euros) per trip within Sweden, 77 crowns (6.76 euros) per trip within Europe and around 325 crowns (28.56 euros) for longer trips, such as to the United States.
Sweden denies being “inefficient”
In this sense, the Swedish executive argued that the air tax is “ineffective”, harms businesses and pushes Swedish travellers to airports located outside the country’s borders.
Critics of the move include the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and the Green Party. “This is another example of this government’s irresponsible climate policy,” party spokeswoman Amanda Lind said.
On the other hand, the aviation sector celebrated the tax abolition. This is why the CEO of the national airport operator Swdavia, Jonas Abrahamsson, criticised the fact that these fees have hampered flight availability, competitiveness and growth in Sweden.
Similarly, the Secretary General of the Swedish Air Transport Association, Waldenström Dayargued that “there are better ways to reduce the climate impact of aviation, such as the European Union’s plan to increase the amount of sustainable fuel.”
