Italian luxury tax on private flights
22 June 2012
Italy, the home of luxury and good living, has shocked the industry by extending the luxury tax originally aimed at aircraft owners to air charterers.
The luxury tax on ‘aero taxis’ must be paid by each passenger for each leg and depends on the length of the flight being operated.
Joop Plaisier, Managing Director of Fliteline, says it can prove to be an expensive additional cost for larger groups, especially on longer flights.
“The tax costs €10 for legs of less than 100km but rises to €200 for legs over 1500 km. If you have 10 passengers on a return flight from Italy to the US, that’s €4000 for the flight. When you think about the great tradition of Italian passion for luxury and flair, it seems incredible that they are imposing this kind of tax.”
The European Business Aviation Association is considering legal action against this tax, but in the meantime, regrettably, we have no choice but to levy it on any flight into or out of Italy.
