Carbon tax could ground air travel

The Regina Airport Authority has announced plans for a major expansion of the terminal building over the next three years, as part of the 2037 master plan for the airport. This is in anticipation of a 2.8-per-cent increase in passenger traffic over the next 20 years.

This could prove to be a colossal waste of millions of dollars of public funds. Have the members of the airport authority forgotten that the federal government is committed to a drastic reduction in the use of fossil fuels over the next 30 years? When we leave the oil in the ground, will they expect commercial aircraft to operate with solar panels on their wings?

In the meantime, everything that moves and emits CO2 will be subject to the imposition of carbon taxes, starting at $10 per tonne in 2018 and increasing to $50 per tonne by 2022. So within a very few years the cost of aviation fuel will escalate so dramatically that the price of an airline ticket will be completely out of reach for most people. Very few will be able to afford to fly anywhere. A considerable decrease in passenger traffic is therefore far more likely than any significant increase, and could even result in the eventual decline of the tourist industry.

Or perhaps this expansion is actually intended to create sufficient space to accommodate a large supply of broomsticks for the frequent flyers. Christine Whitaker, Edgeley