French Airports Face Loss of 1.3 Million Passengers Amid Tripling of Aviation Solidarity Tax

The recent tripling of France's aviation solidarity tax (taxe de solidarité sur les billets d'avion or TSBA), effective since March 2025, is having a significant impact on the country's air travel sector. The Union des aéroports français (UAF) reports that the tax increase, which adds €4.77 to domestic or European flights and up to €120 on long-haul business class tickets, has led airlines to cancel thousands of flights. This has resulted in over 1.3 million passengers being affected by flight reductions.

Notably, Ryanair announced a 13% reduction in its flight capacity within France, cutting 750,000 seats and suspending services at Strasbourg, Bergerac, and Brive regional airports for the winter season. Overall, UAF members are expecting a decline of 630,000 passengers during the winter and anticipate a further decrease of 750,000 passengers for the spring-summer period. These figures exclude Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle and Orly airports, which account for half of France's 205 million air passengers in 2024.

Thomas Juin, President of the UAF, expressed concern that passenger traffic in France remains 4% below 2019 pre-crisis levels. He highlighted that seat capacity growth from France is only 1.5% in the second quarter of 2025, compared to 4.5% in the rest of Europe. He attributed this lag to political and fiscal decisions, particularly the increased aviation tax, which have undermined France’s competitiveness and risk broader economic repercussions.

In summary, the tax hike is clearly prompting airlines, especially low-cost carriers, to reduce flight offerings, adversely affecting French airports and passengers. The aviation industry and airports warn that this trend may deepen in the coming seasons if fiscal policies remain unchanged.