Flying from Italy’s airports is set to get more expensive from 2024 as the government has announced plans to include a higher tassa di imbarco, or boarding tax, in the budget plan.

An extra fee of €7.50 or €9 will be applied at airports in Rome and Venice respectively, while passengers leaving from other Italian airports will pay €6.

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Local municipalities would also have the option of adding their own €3 tax, according to the latest draft of the budget plan.

The cost of the tax was to be passed on to passengers in flight ticket prices, and was expected to bring in considerable additional revenue for local authorities, according to news reports.

The Italian government had not given any indication as to what the additional tax revenue would be spent on.

The president of Assaeroporti, an association representing almost all Italian airports, told newspaper Corriere della Sera that the plan “seriously worries us because … it would represent serious damage to the entire national airport system, and for travellers.”

Low-cost airline Easyjet warned that “Italy is already one of the least competitive countries in Europe with current taxation, continuing to increase it will lead companies to direct their investments elsewhere, impacting connectivity.”

More details were expected early in 2024, as Italy’s new budget law has not yet been fully approved and could undergo further changes before the end of the year.

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The move came as several other European countries announced new or increased air travel taxes from next year.

Denmark announced in November that a new air travel tax would be phased in from 2025, costing 70 kroner (9 euros) on average per passenger per flight to begin with.

The tax revenue was to be used to finance green transition measures within the aviation industry and additional welfare for the elderly, the Danish government said.

In August, France’s transport minister announced that the country’s next budget would also include an increase in taxes on airline tickets, with the money going to fund investment in railways.