Want to book a flight for a short distance? The Belgian government is not in favour of it. With a new tax on private planes and short flights, the government wants to counteract pollution and noise pollution.

From April 1, the exemption for private jets will expire and the degree of pollution and the final destination will count towards the tax. The higher tax applies to flights shorter than 500 kilometers. To give a picture: a flight from Amsterdam to Paris is about 400 kilometers.

Older, more polluting aircraft will also have to deal with the higher load. The tax already applied to noisy aircraft at Zaventem airport.

In Belgium, Business flights account for one in eight flight movements.