SAS TRANSFER TRAFFIC EXEMPT DESPITE BEING THE BIGGEST POLLUTERS

Ryanair, Europe’s no.1 airline has today (27 Nov) condemned the Danish Govt’s proposal to impose a fake ‘eco tax’ of up to DKK 100 per departing passenger from 2025 – 2030, but inexplicably exempts transfer passengers who take two flights and emit more than double the CO₂ emissions.

The Danish Govt has designed this discriminatory fake ‘eco tax’ to tax the most eco-efficient form of air travel (point-to-point) while exempting the most polluting airlines, like SAS, whose transfer passengers take two flights and emit more than double the CO₂ emissions of those flying on Ryanair’s efficient point-to-point services. The Danish Govt claim they want to incentive green tech, yet its fake ‘eco tax’ completely fails to recognise the use of new tech aircraft, like Ryanair’s “Gamechangers”, which cut emissions by 16%, noise by 40% and carry 4% more airline passengers.

Ryanair already pays hundreds of millions (€833m in FY23) in environmental taxes every year. Efficient short haul point-to-point air travel cannot keep picking up the tab for decarbonising aviation while the most polluting connecting passengers pay nothing – eco taxes must be applied fairly to all airline passengers.

A Ryanair spokesperson said:

“It is inexplicable that the Danish Govt expect their citizens/visitors flying point-to-point to/from Denmark to pick up the tab on emissions, when transfer passengers taking two flights and emitting more than double the CO₂ emissions will be exempt from this fake ‘eco tax’.

Despite the Danish Govt’s claims, this fake ‘eco tax’ will do nothing for the environment but irreparably damage regional Danish airports, like Aalborg, Aarhus and Billund, who do not have any transfer traffic and are fully dependent on efficient, point-to-point air travel, by making them even more expensive than EU competitor airports. Danish citizens/visitors already face an energy and cost-of-living crisis without being hit with this fake ‘eco tax’ to subsidise the Danish Govt in propping up SAS who’s most polluting transfer passengers flying through Copenhagen Airport pay zero eco taxes.

The Danish Govt should scrap its plans to impose this fake ‘eco tax’ and do something useful, like introduce airport charging schemes that reward eco-efficient airlines, like Ryanair, and penalise eco-polluters like SAS.”