The ticket tax increase announced by the Austrian federal government should take effect on August 31, 2020. This should then be a uniform 12 euros, which means almost tripling on the short-haul route. On the Long Haul, on the other hand, it is a little cheaper.

Ultra-short-haul flights up to a distance of 350 kilometers are excluded from the standardization. These should be taxed disproportionately at 30 euros per ticket. Any exceptions for transfer passengers were not discussed in the National Council. The opposition was largely silent about the government plans, which were presented as an economic package. Only the FPÖ and the former State Secretary Hubert Fuchs (FPÖ) spoke out clearly against the increase in the ticket tax and also called for it to be abolished completely. Fuchs considers the levy to be fundamentally wrong and fears that it could cause massive damage to Austrian Airlines in particular.

The ruling party Die Grünen sees things completely differently: “With the tripling of the ticket fee, a major milestone has been set. Aviation has to assume its climate responsibility. The goal must be to improve the climate balance. With the increase to 30 euros for short-haul flights within a 350 km radius, Austria is setting European standards and getting the ball rolling against price dumping in air traffic. In addition, the increase in the price of tickets brings more real cost, which is urgently required ”, said their traffic spokesman Hermann Weratschnig.

The politician also calls for kerosene to be taxed across Europe: "If we have our way, we could implement the kerosene tax across Europe tomorrow so that fair conditions can finally prevail in the price competition between rail and air transport".