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Comment by _rpd | Hacker News Reader

The actual reason for the exemption is that they cannot impose the tax on non-EU operators, giving the non-EU operators a competitive advantage.

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They can’t impose a tax on jets that use their airspace?

AFAIK that would require changes to the customs area, which might have consequences for other aspects like transiting goods.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_control#Customs_area

> They can’t impose a tax on jets that use their airspace?

Presumably they already signed aviation treaties that do not allow for this.

Yes, there is a tangle of 5000+ Air Services Agreements which, as international treaties, supersede national laws. Almost all agreements include mutual tax exemptions on anything not unloaded at a destination, including fuel.

Eurocontrol already has fees for ATC usage. This fuel tax is presumably in addition to that.

The UK does (including back in the good old days when we were still in the EU).

This doesn't appear to be the case (as of Oct 2019) ...

> members of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), including the United Kingdom, are prevented from taxing international aviation fuel, or any proxies for fuel, under the Chicago Convention.

https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN00...

It's not on the fuel, rather the flights:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/rates-and-allowances-for-air-pas...

I think it might be time for an ~80 year old convention to be revamped if it kills the environment...

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