Government direct taxes not to blame
I'm with sober lark,
The direct Gov tax is bog all to do with airline growth. Airport charges may have a bigger effect, since they'll be directly in the airfare and are perhaps more substantial.
Airlines will make more from selling ancillary services than the gov tax also. So should the airlines sell their hotels etc nett in order to enhance the tourist proposition (I say this with a smile).
Overall, the European economy is under pressure. If you plan a trip, it'll go something like €200.00 airfare, €100 a night hotel, €50.00 a night dinner, €20.00 visiting attractions etc etc etc. It's the overall spend. And it's widely shown people are opting for 1 holiday versus 2 holidays.
Perhaps the simplest route is to try and develope new markets and tap clients we're not seeing.
Cheerio Shamrogue