Representative ImageACI World (Airports Council International) has expressed serious concerns regarding the decision by France, Kenya, Barbados, Spain, Somalia, Benin, Sierra Leone, and Antigua & Barbuda to launch a coalition ahead of COP30, focused on introducing a new tax on air transport—with a special focus on premium flyers—as a means to fund development, climate mitigation, and public health initiatives.
“We fully support the global pursuit of sustainable development and climate resilience,” said Justin Erbacci, Director General of ACI World. “However, targeting aviation with additional taxes is likely to undermine the very connectivity and economic growth that support these goals. The aviation sector must be empowered—not penalized—if we want to achieve long-term global progress.”
Aviation Taxation undermines Air Connectivity
Taxation on aviation has proven to hinder air connectivity and negatively impact regional economic growth. The economic benefits lost due to these taxes can be twice as large as the revenue governments collect from them. ACI research on the Taxation of International Air Transport and Airports estimates that the removal of the US$90 billion in taxes paid by aviation users would create 5.2 million jobs and US$180 billion in global GDP.
New taxes, such as the one proposed, also risk impacting regions that are particularly dependent on air connectivity for trade, tourism, and broader development.
Moreover, the eight States announced plans to invest “all or parts of the proceeds into resilient investments and fair transitions.” However, there is a significant risk that these funds will be diverted to other uses rather than serving their intended purpose.
New Taxes Risk threaten Aviation’s Net Zero Trajectory
The coalition of eight States announced it would work towards a “better contribution of the aviation sector to fair transitions and resilience.” However, the global aviation sector already is following an ambitious, coordinated plan to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, through the leadership of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), including the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA)—the international market-based system specifically designed to address aviation emissions.
A new international tax could divert critical funding away from CORSIA and other essential decarbonization priorities—including sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), operational improvements, infrastructure upgrades, and low-emission technologies.
Call for Smarter Global Solutions
ACI World joins ICAO, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG), and others in cautioning against measures that extract value from aviation without reinvestment in its sustainable future. A globally fragmented approach—such as a tax imposed by a "coalition of the willing"—could distort competition, undermine environmental integrity, and disproportionately impact developing economies that rely on air transport for growth.
