Business and first class passengers, as well as private jet users, could face a “solidarity levy” of around £500 under proposals to be discussed at the UN Cop30 summit in Belem, Brazil. Such journeys generate much higher emissions per passenger than basic economy class.
The governments of France, Spain and Kenya have demanded “a special focus on premium flyers” with the proceeds of a levy going to “resilient investments and fair transitions”.
But the International Air Transport Association (Iata) has dismissed the idea from the Global Solidarity Levies Task Force as “crazy”.
The task force submission to Cop30 says: “A levy on premium flyers and private jets implemented globally could raise €78bn [£68bn] per year.”
According to the Iata, 117 million travellers flew in premium classes in 2024. Analysis by a Swedish researcher calculated that emissions from private jets climbed by nearly half in the four years to 2023.
While the number of passengers flying on private jets is not clear, The Independent calculates around 5 million such flights were made in 2025. Assuming an average of four passengers on each aircraft, that adds 20 million to the number of travellers who could be affected by the levy.
Were the levy to be applied equally to passengers, it would add about £500 per person to the cost of such a flight.
The aim, says the task force, is to ensure “a minimal impact on households and businesses while maximising the impact the revenues can have for climate and development”.
The task force says: “A significant share of the revenues raised by solidarity levies would be used domestically, including in developing countries where it would contribute to enhancing domestic resource mobilisation to support climate and development priorities.”
But Thomas Reynaert, senior vice president for external affairs at Iata, told The Independent: “It’s a bit crazy that this comes up at Cop30.
“The principle, unfortunately, is very much the same as we’ve seen with a lot of so-called green taxes or ticket taxes: it’s not going to resolve your emissions problem.”
Airlines are committed to reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050 under an international framework called the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (Corsia).
Mr Reynaert said: “We in aviation have made a lot of effort. Airlines have committed to contribute up to $60bn (£47bn) in climate finance.
“The tax that is being discussed at Cop30 is actually counterproductive and beside the point. The real instrument to get emissions down is Corsia, not just yet another tax. It is a proven system, one that works and is internationally accepted, so we really should continue and go full speed with that.”
According to the travel policy published by the United Nations in 2013, UN staff are entitled to travel in business class “when a single leg journey is nine hours or more, or for multi-leg journeys, the combined travel time of the journey is 11 hours or more”.
With no nonstop flights from the organisation’s New York HQ, staff travelling to Cop30 are believed to qualify for business class travel.
Unlike almost all other nations, the UK taxes passengers in premium cabins and private jets more. For a longhaul flight up to 5,500 miles, passengers in any cabin “other than the lowest class of travel” pay £216 in air passenger duty (APD), while private jet users pay £647.
APD is expected to rise in the Budget later this month.
Read more: As Britain’s biggest budget airline turns 30, what did easyJet ever do for us?
