HUNGARY NEEDS LOW FARE FLIGHTS, NOT HIGH GOVT. TAXES

Ryanair today (14 Nov) called on the Hungarian Govt. to apologise to its citizens and visitors for its failed attempt to impose an ‘excess’ profits tax on airline handlers, which was always a bogus and dishonest tax on consumers air travel. The Hungarian Govt. now proposes to replace this non-existent ‘excess’ profits tax, with an ‘environmental’ passenger tax. Any such tax will make air access to/from Hungary more expensive and uncompetitive, compared to flights to neighbouring countries, such as Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Croatia, and Austria. Inbound visitors to the Balkans will now avoid Hungary, and this bogus Govt. tax, which makes air travel to/from Hungary uncompetitive and more expensive, at the expense of Hungarian citizens and visitors.

At a time when other EU countries are scrapping air travel taxes and lowering airport fees, Ryanair calls on the Hungarian Govt. to follow this example, and scrap this idiotic and damaging passenger tax.

Ryanair’s CEO, Michael O’Leary said:

“We welcome the Hungarian Govt.’s decision to replace its dishonest ‘excess’ profits tax with an environmental airfare tax on passengers, which at least proves that the intention of the Hungarian Govt. was always to tax passengers, and not non-existent airline profits. Having shown that their original ‘excess’ profits tax was dishonest (when in reality it was a passenger tax), Ryanair again calls on the Hungarian Govt. to scrap this stupid tax, which makes air travel to/from Hungary more expensive, and less competitive than it is to/from neighbouring Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Austria, or Slovakia.

At a time when Hungary and its tourism industry need to recover from the damage caused by Covid, Hungarian citizens and visitors need lower airfares, and more flights, not fewer flights and higher Govt. taxes. We hope the Hungarian Govt. will now accept the stupidity of this absurd tax, scrap it, and make Hungary a low-cost, competitive air travel and tourism destination once again, for the benefit of Hungarian citizens, their families, and visitors.”