Alliance of 8 countries promotes tax on wealthy airline passengers

A new international alliance of eight countries has announced an initiative to impose a tax on wealthy airline passengers, with the aim of financing climate adaptation in the most vulnerable countries. The announcement was made by the French presidency. As it is emphasized, the formation of the alliance aims to create a fairer and "resilient" financing framework to address the climate crisis.

The alliance includes France, Kenya, Barbados, Spain, Somalia, Benin, Sierra Leone, and Antigua and Barbuda. Of these, small countries in particular are at the forefront of the impacts of climate change, despite being largely responsible for the emissions that cause it.

Airfare tax for the richest

The initiative focuses on increasing taxes on airline tickets, with an emphasis on first and business class flights as well as private jets – options used mainly by wealthy passengers and having a disproportionately high environmental footprint.

As the French presidency notes, the aim is to expand the number of countries implementing such taxes, so that the aviation industry can contribute more to financing actions to adapt to climate change, particularly in developing countries.

Up to 187 billion euros in financing potential

The alliance countries estimate that a global implementation of the measure could yield up to 187 billion euros (about 220 billion dollars) – resources that could be directed to resilience investments, just transitions, and strengthening public revenues in poorer countries. The ability to strengthen their fiscal base is seen as crucial to achieving sustainable growth.

The aviation industry is at the centre of the debate

Aviation is responsible for around 2.5% of global carbon emissions – a figure that is likely to increase dramatically as flights expand, particularly in emerging markets. Although its contribution to pollution is smaller than other sectors, such as energy or trucking, the fact that it mainly serves affluent populations makes it a target for “climate justice” measures.

Private jets, for example, emit up to 14 times more CO₂ per passenger than commercial flights, increasing pressure to tax them as part of the global effort to curb emissions.

From "symbolic" to substantive taxes

The idea of ​​"solidarity taxes" is not new. France, Kenya, and Barbados have already promoted taxes on sectors such as shipping, fossil fuels, plastics, and even cryptocurrencies for years. However, the results have been limited to date, mainly due to a lack of international coordination.

This time, the initiative is accompanied by the intention to create a broader coalition of states that will promote concrete and implementable measures, starting with a tax on airline tickets.

Rich countries’ obligation

Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, rich countries – historically responsible for the bulk of greenhouse gas emissions – are required to contribute financially to help developing countries adapt to the impacts of climate change.

However, financial pledges to date have often gone unfulfilled. The new alliance’s proposal aims to fill this gap by proposing a simple and workable taxation tool that would directly link sources of pollution to funding for victims of the climate crisis.

Next steps

The alliance intends to promote the issue at future international climate conferences, as well as in the G20 and other multilateral organizations. The key challenge will be to get more countries on board and to set common standards for taxation.

If broad support is achieved, this initiative could become a major step towards fairer global climate finance, with the richest shouldering a greater share of the cost.