– The negative consequences for the industry may be more long-term, so that there is a need for compensatory measures over a longer period, says Minister of Transport Jon-Ivar Nygård (Ap).
Among other things, the government will propose that the air passenger tax be temporarily abolished from 1 January to 1 July 2022. The proposal will have retroactive effect, which means that the airlines do not have to pay tax on travel performed until the Storting’s decision.
At the same time, the Ministry of Transport and Communications writes that if socially critical flights that are currently operated on commercial terms have a significantly weakened route offer, or are temporarily closed as a result of the government’s new measures, the ministry will consider a temporary minimum offer purchase on these routes.
– Without financial support, we risk unwanted and noticeable cuts in the route offers in aviation. This can lead to people who perform socially critical functions not getting to work, or patients not getting to and from the hospitals, says Nygård.
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