Airline boss slams ‘scandalous’ air tax
Flybe boss Andrew Strong has called on the Government to fundamentally reform air tax to make it fairer for passengers taking domestic flights.
Strong, who is Flybe's UK managing director, told a meeting of more than 50 MPs that aviation can help drive the recovery needed by UK regional economies but it needs government help to reform air passenger duty.
Speaking at the British Air Transport Association annual parliamentary reception, Strong said it was unfair that passengers taking domestic flights had to pay twice as much in APD as those flying abroad.
"At present, the domestic passenger suffers what has been coined the ‘double-dip’ where UK domestic flyers pay APD twice and those flying abroad pay just once. This is because APD only applies to outbound flights from the UK," he said.
"It is frankly scandalous that a return passenger travelling between Glasgow and Belfast City, some 100 miles, pays double the tax of someone flying between Glasgow and Dalaman in Eastern Turkey, a flight of more than 2,000 miles."
Strong said last year 86m passengers flew from regional airports, representing "a powerful body" that did not want to travel to London to catch a flight.
'Be under no illusion – APD damages the UK economy. That’s why regional airports and airlines welcome the Chancellor’s decision to reduce the APD paid by passengers travelling from Belfast International to Newark on the Continental service," he added.
"It is a clear acknowledgement that tax affects the viability of air services and we look forward to hearing the Treasury’s plans for the rest of the UK. Aviation is a British success story and we need government’s help to keep it that way.'
By Linsey McNeill
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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