Sweden to Increase Airport Fees for Highly Polluted Aircraft

The Swedish government says factors such as the use of biofuels should be taken into account when calculating the costs of climate impacts.

The Swedish government said it plans to charge airlines more on takeoff and landing if their planes are more polluting the atmosphere.

With the measure, which will take effect in July, old aircraft will face higher fees than new aircraft.

“This means that an aircraft’s take-off and landing charges can be higher when the climate impact is higher, and can be reduced when the climate impact is lower,” the infrastructure ministry said on Monday, describing the plan as the first in Europe.

The proposal, which must be approved by the parliament and concerns Arlanda airport in Stockholm and Landvetter in Gothenburg, includes planes using biofuels.

The government said the project is still under discussion and fine-tuning has been made.

Sweden is the place where the ‘flight-shame’ movement originated in 2018, which is putting pressure on people to stop flying to reduce carbon emissions.

A single flight between Stockholm and Gothenburg, their two largest cities, generates as much carbon dioxide as 40,000 train journeys, according to Swedish Railways. This is a fact that aroused interest in Swedes who used to fly frequently.

According to a study conducted in 2017, air travel for each Swede is responsible for about 1.1 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. This amount corresponds to a 50% increase compared to 1990.