Cut air passenger duty by 50% in Budget, MPs urge Hammond

CHANCELLOR Philip Hammond is under growing pressure to slash air passenger duty in his autumn budget as British holidaymakers continue to pay the highest levels in Europe.

An audit of air duties and fees shows a shorthaul flight from the UK incurs around twice as much tax as one from Germany and Italy, three times as much as from France, and more than four times as much as from Austria.

More than 20 MPs – including 13 Tories and all ten from the DUP – have written to Mr Hammond urging him to cut air passenger duty (APD) by ‘at least 50 per cent’ in the autumn budget on October 29.

They say that with Britain hoping to boost trade after leaving the EU, the high rate ‘makes no economic or political sense’. The letter’s signatories include former Cabinet ministers Priti Patel and Grant Shapps and is backed by the trade body Airlines UK and the campaign group A Fair Tax on Flying.

It said APD ‘damages trade and business and makes leisure travel more expensive, both for visitors to the UK and UK families taking their hard-earned annual holidays’.

APD for those flying from UK airports costs £13 per adult for short-haul economy class flights and £78 for long-haul flights.

This compares with just over £5 for a shorthaul flight from a French airport, rising to around £12.60 for a long-haul flight, according to an analysis by A Fair Tax on Flying.