We are calling on the United Nations, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), in Geneva, the European Commission and the Governments to oblige airlines to refund to the United Nations air taxes of travelers who have missed their flights. This money, they keep though it does not belong to them, would be used to fund a Global Philanthropic Fund to be created and managed by the United Nations.

Each year, nearly 300 million passengers (10% of the 3 billion passengers a year by airlines) do not require the air tax refund to which they are entitled after missing their flight.

It could be because it is complicated to be reimbursed and also because individually, the sums could seem neglectible: from 4 dollars to 30 euros, depending on the country or the type of flight. All together, these small sums represent a huge amount of money: from $ 1.2 billion (300 million X $ 4) to € 9 billion (300 million X € 30) per year.

With this money collected by airlines, a Global Philanthropic Fund could support NGOs such as WWF, Greenpeace, Doctors without borders, Amnesty International, finance measures to protect the environment, to eradicate  diseases, to prevent epidemics, release emergency financial aid in the event of natural or industrial disasters, and help projects in the field of education, culture, sport and scientific and industrial research.

We are also asking The United Nation, IATA, the European Commission and the Governments to ask airlines to make retroactive payment of unclaimed air taxes over the past 10 years. This sum of 12 to 90 billion euros will constitute the starting capital of the Fund.

In order not to put the airline industry in difficulty, companies will be able to pay their debt in shares of their company. This will provide the Global Philanthropic Fund with regular revenues from the dividends of these securities and ensure its long-term financing.

Giuseppe Melillo, business reporter