February 8, 2025
A new private jet tax on all departures in France beginning March 1, 2025 will add at least $218 per passenger in flight costs.
According to Aviation International News, private jet flyers departing from French airports will pay between $218 and $2,200 per passenger in new taxes.
The new French private jet tax was initially proposed last October.
The Telegraph reports, “The plan is one of several tax-the-rich schemes unveiled in (former Prime Minister Michel) Barnier’s austerity budget…which aims to find ($62 billion) in savings for the 2025 fiscal year by tightening public spending, slashing jobs, and taxing the country’s wealthiest households and businesses.”
Charter and jet card operator GlobeAir reports:
This tax has been introduced under Article L. 422-22 and Article L. 422-22-1 of the French Tax Code as part of Ordonnance n° 2021-1843 du 22 décembre 2021. These legal provisions define the tax rates based on the final destination of the passenger and the type of aircraft used. The regulation applies exclusively to non-scheduled air services, which include private jet charters and other business aviation flights. According to the law, non-scheduled air services are defined as flights that do not fall under Article 2, Section 16 of EU Regulation (EC) No. 1008/2008, which governs commercial airline operations.
Per GlobeAir, the tax applies to all passengers departing from France on private jets, with the amount depending on flight distance and aircraft type.
The Citation Mustang operator says there are no known exemptions for private aviation.
A 10% Value Added Tax will be applied on top of the tax for domestic flights within France.
The VAT does not apply to international departures from French airports.
GlobeAir said it has updated its pricing to reflect the new fees.
It provides the following example: “For flights on business aircraft with jet engines departing from France to European destinations, each passenger will incur a €420 tax without VAT. However, for flights departing and arriving within France, the tax increases to €462 per passenger due to the 10% VAT surcharge.”
Per AIN, if a Citation CJ2 light jet flew from Bordeaux to Marseille and then on to Lyon before returning to Bordeaux, the combined tax would €7,500 for a charter itinerary costing around€12,000.
By comparison, two passengers flying from Paris to Tokyo would pay €2,100 each.
In January, the European Business Aviation Association noted an Oxford Economics study pointing to the detrimental impact of anti-private jet legislation in Europe.
It said it could jeopardize up to €120 billion in foreign investments and 104,000 jobs by 2030.
Per EBAA and the research, the policies would reduce EU employment by 57,000 to 104,000 jobs.
EBAA France’s chairman, Charles Aguettant, told AIN, “We’ve had a lot of discussions with [the] Bayrou [administration], but they won’t change the law now, so we’ve started work to improve the 2026 budget, and we’re hoping to reduce these taxes. This just seems like the start of a long, bad story for us.”
EBAA says operators could face stiff fines if they don’t collect the tax.
EBAA France reports that just 10% of private jet departures in the country are for leisure.
According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, the travel industry represents 8.8% of the nation’s employment.
The Cote d’Azur is a popular spot for private jet users in the summer.
Whether the tax encourages private flyers to vacation in other places remains to be seen.
Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, and Croatia could pick up visitors.
Paris stopover flights could also be impacted, hurting tourism-related businesses.
Private jet users may only account for 1-2% of arrivals at luxury resorts.
However, they can account for as much as 25% of revenues.
Thus, any loss of private jet visitors could quickly impact local tourism-related businesses, from restaurants to travel services.
A 2012 attempt by Italian authorities to target the yachting industry cost local businesses significant revenues.
Businesses quickly lost €200 million from mooring fees, port services, and fuel sales, according to Assomarinas, the Italian Association of Marinas.
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