The Swiss parliament is currently reviewing a proposed short-haul flight levy introduced by the canton of Basel-Stadt. The Ständerat rejected the initiative on 16 September 2026, with a vote of 17 to 20 and one abstention, sending it to the Nationalrat for further consideration.
Critics of the levy argue that Switzerland’s existing emissions-trading system and newly introduced airport noise fees represent the most effective means of reducing aviation emissions. They also point out that rail services already compete with flights on many short routes, and that imposing an additional charge could divert air traffic to foreign airports. A 2021 referendum had previously rejected a similar tax proposal during the revision of the CO₂ law.
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Supporters of the measure include left-green factions and centrist parties. The Green Liberal Party (GLP) endorsed the Basel-Stadt proposal, which passed its cantonal parliament by a margin of 48 to 43. Unlike previous versions, this initiative defines eligible routes based on reasonable rail accessibility rather than fixed distance thresholds. It also cites France’s ban on short-haul flights and Belgium’s tax on journeys under 500 kilometres, both of which have received approval from the European Commission, as models for the approach. The Basel-Stadt government had initially opposed the measure, but the cantonal parliament (Grosse Rat) forced it in April 2025 to file the initiative in Bern.
Im Baselbieter Landrat scheiterte im Januar 2025 der Versuch, die Regierung zum Einreichen einer gleichen Standesinitiative zu zwingen.