Airfares might go up in Europe to pay for impact on environment

If the rising fuel prices were not enough, the air travelers in Europe would now have to pay for the environmental impact of their journeys.

The European Parliament has now approved plans for the “immediate introduction” of a tax on jet fuel for flights within the 25 member states of the EU.

This tax alone would be bad enough to double the cost of millions of budget airline flights in the region. And air travelers would be charged up to £40 extra for a return ticket within Europe.

British Airways and other European airlines have been trying to get the parliament to pass a more lenient scheme but apparently failed to do so.

The MEPs have also said that the scheme should cover all flights arriving at or departing from EU airports rather than just intra-EU flights. However, for now they would only cover flights within Europe to avoid complications arising from companies based in America and Asia.