Tax on airline tickets set to rise to 24 euros per flight

The Cabinet plans to triple the tax on airline tickets from 8 euros to 24 euros next year. This should make flying "relatively less attractive" than more sustainable options like traveling by train, Minister Sigrid Kaag of Finance said in the Recovery and Resilience Plan sent to parliament on Monday, RTL Nieuws reports.

Tripling the flight tax will also triple the government's income from it to 600 million euros in 2023. The tax only applies to departing passengers - travelers only transferring in the Netherlands don't have to pay the tax. Children under the age of two are also exempt.

The increased flight tax will make flying from Dutch airports more expensive. The government expects the consequences will be "relatively limited" for airlines in the short term. While some people will forgo traveling, choose an alternative mode of transport, or divert to foreign airports, others will keep flying as usual, the government assumes.