A new survey in the Netherlands shows growing concern that rising aviation taxes could make air travel unaffordable for many Dutch households, prompting a joint campaign by the Dutch travel and airline industry against planned tax increases.
According to research conducted among more than 1,000 Dutch residents, two-thirds of respondents fear flying from the Netherlands will become too expensive if air travel taxes continue to rise, while 71% believe air travel should remain accessible for lower-income travellers.
In response, ANVR has launched the campaign “gelijkevliegtaks.eu” together with TUI, Corendon, Transavia and KLM. The coalition is urging the Dutch government to reconsider plans that would make Dutch aviation taxes the highest in the European Union from 2027.
The industry warns that taxes on long-haul tickets could rise from around €30 today to €72 per passenger by 2027 — an increase of roughly 140%. According to ANVR director Frank Radstake, this would place a disproportionate burden on Dutch travellers compared with neighbouring countries.
The campaign argues that environmental measures should be coordinated at European level rather than imposed unevenly between countries. Industry representatives say the current approach risks driving passengers to airports across the border in Belgium or Germany rather than reducing emissions.
ANVR highlighted that a family of four flying from the Netherlands to Turkey could pay more than €190 in aviation taxes alone from 2027, compared with about €40 for a similar trip departing from Belgium.
Marjan Rintel warned that the planned increases could either price travellers out of the market or encourage them to fly from neighbouring countries instead, potentially weakening Dutch connectivity and harming the aviation sector without delivering meaningful environmental benefits.