Air traffic in Austria will have increased enormously by 2023 and this will also be noticeable in the CO2 balance. Climate-damaging emissions from air traffic increased by 39 percent to 1.25 million tons in the first half of the year, according to a current VCÖ analysis. This means that emissions in the first half of the year were as high as in the entire year of 2021, which was still characterized by a Corona silence.
Despite the harmful effects on the climate, the aviation fuel kerosene is still exempt from tax on mineral oils, the transport club complained. In the first half of the year, air traffic in Austria alone was supported with 239 million euros. The mobility organization demands that a kerosene tax is finally introduced at EU level and that the proceeds are used to further expand international rail connections in Europe.
Criticism of “flights at dumping prices”
In addition, there is no VAT on airline tickets for cross-border flights. “These tax breaks ensure that flights can be offered at dumping prices, which means more air traffic, more aircraft noise and more climate-damaging emissions,” says VCÖ expert Lina Mosshammer, pointing out the consequences.
A current VCÖ analysis based on kerosene consumption in Austria shows that air traffic in Austria caused around 1.25 million tonnes of climate-damaging emissions in the first half of the year, about 350,000 tonnes more than in the first half of 2022.
Emissions are still below the first half of 2019, but compared to the Corona half of 2021, climate-damaging emissions have even tripled, the VCÖ reports. In the first half of the year alone, air traffic this year caused as many greenhouse gases as in the entire year of 2021.
Training as an alternative to flying
E-kerosene alone is not a solution, because e-kerosene also causes negative climate effects such as contrails and ozone. That is why avoiding and shifting is also very important in air traffic. Central to Europe is the increased shift to rail.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
