Overview
- The Union–SPD coalition agreed to roll back the May 2024 increase in Germany’s air travel tax from July 1, 2026, returning rates toward pre‑2024 levels and providing roughly €350 million in annual relief.
- Airlines and airports welcomed the move as a competitiveness boost, with Lufthansa and others reviewing previously threatened routes, but the BDF said any fare impact depends on wider cost pressures.
- CSU transport politician Stephan Stracke urged carriers—especially Lufthansa—to lower prices and restore connections even before the tax change takes effect.
- Opposition parties, climate groups and consumer advocates criticized the plan as socially unfair and harmful to climate goals, noting most Europe tickets would see at most about €7.73 in tax relief and contrasting it with rising Deutschlandticket costs.
- Alongside the tax cut, the government plans to reduce air traffic control fees starting in 2026 and target more than a 10% fee drop by 2029, introduce a temporary industrial power price from 2026 to 2028, and faces Ryanair’s demand to abolish the levy entirely from January 2026.