Ooperating a flight in France costs more than in all the major European countries analyzed – with the exception of the Netherlands (where costs at Schiphol airport have risen by more than 40% by 2025) for short and medium distances, and the UK for round-trip long-haul trips with stopovers -, notes the study commissioned by Fnam (National Aviation and Trade Federation), the professional organization of air carriers.
For a company, operating long-haul flights through its hub in France (e.g. from Europe to Asia) costs more than in all the EU countries analyzed (difference between -3 and -15%), Turkey or the Gulf countries (difference of about 20 to 25%). Only in the UK are costs higher (+7%) than in France.
As a result, for an airline, such as Air France, which operates 60,000 long-haul flights per year, the cost difference related to public policy can reach almost 4.5 billion euros per year compared to similar operations carried out in the United Arab Emirates. Unsupportive French public policy has not only contributed to the loss of French flag market share, but also to the loss of France’s attractiveness, where air traffic recovery has grown more slowly than the European average since the Covid crisis (99% of 2019 levels by the end of 2024, compared with 104% of the European average level in 2019).
Line closure
Asterès firm estimates put the loss of international visitors at 3.5 million by 2025, leading to a 2.3 billion euro drop in spending on the economy and a reduction of nearly 800 million euro in tax revenues for the state budget dedicated to the tourism sector alone. An amount close to the expected income from taxes…
A tripling of the solidarity tax on air tickets (TSBA) in spring 2025 – carried out without an impact study – has reinforced this imbalance. The first consequences have also been evaluated. Therefore, traffic growth in France has not been very significant since the beginning of this year (+2.9% in France, compared to an average of +4.2% in Europe). Likewise, the seat capacity this summer in France experienced stagnation (+1.3%), while Europe still recorded significant growth (+4.4%). Price increases are quite significant, especially on domestic flights (9.54 euros per economy class passenger for round trip).
The back-to-back lane closures announced since the implementation of the TSBA concern 14 of the 45 airports that have received official notices from airlines announcing reduced presence. The airports in question are local (8), regional (2), and large regional (3) airports. In total there are thirteen airports eliminating twenty-four airlines. These figures are consistent with continued lower supply growth in France compared to Europe, which is expected to continue into the final quarter of 2025 and into 2026.
Punishing tax strategies
The decline in commercial traffic of French operators is clearly visible: – 21.8% in 2025 compared to 2024 (July to September). Favorable situation for foreign operators: +4% in 2025 compared to 2024 (July to September). However, these figures must be considered in light of the impact that the Olympics will have in 2024.
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France’s tax strategy not only hinders the growth of the sector but also makes it difficult to finance the environmental transition, Fnam underlined. A slowdown in activity will indeed weaken investment capacity in fleet renewal, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and technological innovation. Instead, this mechanism causes a shift of traffic overseas, particularly from European and non-European hubs, without reducing overall emissions.
“The facts are there: France applies a more sanctioning regulatory, fiscal and operational framework than its neighbors,” said Laurent Timsit, Fnam delegate general. A situation that weakens our companies, reduces the attractiveness of the region and makes it difficult to finance investments that are essential for the environmental transition. We are not asking for special treatment. We demand regulations that are comparable to those of our neighbors in terms of operations, investment and decarbonization. Currently, this is not the case. »
