Back in 2018, inspired by Big Sister Greta Thunberg, Sweden gave in to the climate cultists and began the “flight shaming” movement.
As part of “flygscam” (and I will note the term “scam” in an inherent part of the Swedish word), the nation created a special tax for those who opted to use airlines to meet their transportation needs. Not surprisingly (at least to people knowledgeable about how free markets operate), the policy led to … unintended consequences.
The “flight shaming” movement, which originated in Sweden, was closely tied to the country’s push for sustainability and climate awareness. The movement gained traction in 2018 when 15-year-old Greta Thunberg started her now-famous solo protest outside the Swedish Parliament. Over the following years, flight shaming became a widespread social phenomenon, influencing the travel habits of not just Swedes, but people across the globe.In the years following the introduction of the air tax, surveys indicated a growing number of Swedes abstaining from air travel, with nearly a quarter of the population opting for more eco-friendly modes of transportation, like trains, buses, and cars. This dramatic shift, however, led to unintended consequences for the aviation sector, particularly smaller airports in Sweden’s more remote areas. Airports like Bromma near Stockholm saw flight operations scale back, and Ryanair ceased all domestic flights in the country.
Now, Greta is a little older, and the Swedes are a little wiser. The nation is now ditching the “flight shaming” tax.
The country that invented “flight shaming”, a concept championed by climate activist Greta Thunberg, has scrapped its air tax in a bid to boost its ailing economy.As of July 1, Sweden has dropped the levy of 76–517 krona (£5.50–£37.40) per passenger per flight, an eco measure introduced by the centre-left government in 2018.The U-turn will be seen as a disaster by environmentalists, and it exposes a tension at the core of the aviation versus climate debate. When jumbo jets disappear emissions drop, but other things begin to dwindle too: regional growth, connectivity and – it appears in Sweden – public support for eco concerns.
Sweden’s airlines and the aviation industry are grateful for the reversal.
Jonas Abrahamsson, president and CEO of Swedavia, which runs 10 of the country’s busiest airports, including Stockholm Arlanda, welcomed the government’s decision.“The aviation tax has hampered Swedish flight accessibility, competitiveness and growth,” added Abrahamsson. “In addition, it has not supported the necessary climate transition as it treats all fuels, including bio-based jet fuel, equally.”Airlines’ association IATA also praised the Swedish government’s decision as “excellent news”.“Better air connectivity boosts the productive capacity of the economy, leading to stronger tax revenues in the long term,” said Rafael Schvartzman, IATA’s regional vice president for Europe.“Sweden’s post-pandemic aviation recovery has notably lagged its neighbours, a problem made worse with the tax – and the number of routes had still not rebounded to 2019 levels by the end of 2023.”
The move may have also been inspired by budget airlines opting to reroute themselves out of Sweden.
Since the policy came into effect in 2018, flights landing in Swedish airports dropped by more than 35%, according to aviation data firm Cirium, reported by Bloomberg. Irish airline Ryanair, which advertises cheap ticket fares, withdrew entirely from Sweden’s domestic market last year.
Of course, the climate cultists are exceedingly unhappy.
“The removal of the aviation tax is another example of the government’s stupid and counterproductive policies,” Sweden’s Green Party spokesperson told Bloomberg.
This is one small step for Sweden, and one big step to the restoration of energy sanity for the rest of the world.
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