1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites

Airline ticket tax 'a curse'

November 5, 2014

German airlines have said they're disappointed at a Supreme Court ruling that has found a government tax on aviation tickets constitutional. Carriers had argued the levy gravely distorted competition.

https://p.dw.com/p/1Dhzr
Lufthansa planes
Image: Reuters/Michael Dalder

German carriers called on Chancellor Angela Merkel Wednesday to scrap a controversial tax on airline tickets introduced by her government in 2011 amid efforts to overhaul Germany's finances.

The tax has since been imposed on passenger tickets for flights originating in Germany, generating about 1 billion euros (1.25 billion) in revenue each year.

In its ruling on Wednesday, the Federal Constitutional Court said the tax was in line with the Basic Law, the German constitution, and did not contravene passengers' or airlines' rights.

Unfair levy?

But the German Aviation Association (BDL) said it would continue to press for political action to remove the levy, which had cost Lufthansa, Air Berlin, Condor and Tui Fly about 2 billion euros and resulted in reduced passenger numbers.

"The air traffic tax law leaves the German airlines with a broken wing," BDL President Klaus-Peter Siegloch said after the court ruling.

Last call for Lufthansa

German airlines claimed passengers, particularly those in border regions, often chose to use airports in neighboring countries where no such tax was levied, making flights cheaper for them.

The tax in Germany is calculated according to the distance traveled, with over 40 euros to be paid for flights over 6,000 kilometers (3700 miles).

hg/sgb (dpa, Reuters)