In a sponsored-content piece published this week on Politico, the U.S. General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) asserted that the European Union is “squeezing” general aviation and unwittingly threatening Europe’s global economic competitiveness. The association addresses plans by European regulators to raise taxes on business aviation and restrict flights in the name of environmental sustainability.
Very heavy environmental taxes on private jet use proposals are now being taken seriously at EU level, and will be difficult for member states to resist.
An even bigger shake up is related moves to tax Jet A.
Used to be laughed at, but not any more. Airlines might find Brexit Britain as a convenient filling station but Britain is also the home of Just Stop Oil, Extinction Rebellion and other movements, mainly staffed by retirees, who do not mind going to prison…
The aviation alphabets have been playing footsy with environmental extremists for years, most recently in their lip service to SAF. The enviros however have one goal - end private aviation completely. You can not compromise with these people, they must be defeated.
Destruction of the EU private aviation industry has been ongoing for many decades. East Asia is going full throttle to recruit, train and build GA. The enormous fees in the EU are billed each time they break ground under the power of extremely expensive 100LL. While compared to the EU 100LL is affordable, the ending of a relatively cheap LORAN-C system costing 36M in 2010 in the US (which was proposed for an upgrade that was going to effectively reduce costs in half) started us on a path like the EU. It was deemed too expensive and shut down for the enormously expensive GPS system with a budget request in now for 1.8B. Certain companies made a big name making equipment with support from certain entities in government of course. Under pretense of safety, usher in ADS-B and those companies that would benefit from it all promoting the greatness of it in marketing and vocally and we are but one step away from the once quelled user fees that was suddenly silent as this new tactic slipped by. Today, the avionics and instruments in an aircraft exceed the airframe costs. Aircraft of old are quadrupled in value. A 12K C150 is now 45K. While we are in a breather for the time being, I caution to be vigilant to what is going on in the rest of the world in GA. Now is a great time to promote limits and safeguards to preserve the GA communities at home and our ability to give novices the ability to afford to fly.
My home base here in Belgium - a proud ‘international’ airport counting as much as 2 scheduled flights a day - now costs over usd80 per flight in fees (takeoff, landing, paxtax, mandatory carpark). So GA is an easy political scapegoat, but it is just as much under attack from airlines (not just as a competitor in the mobility arena, but to clear the air for their own flights to endure), greedy politicians and land developers.
Now obviously we haven’t done ourselves any favours by keeping 100LL alive as our only fuel… that’s just rolling out the red carpet for our opponents. The economic crisis also brings out leftist jealousy that loves to take aim at the jetset, and recreational GA becomes collateral damage.