New carbon tax would hit long-haul travellers

LONG-HAUL flights to Sydney could be £190 more expensive under green plans to tax carbon from aviation.

The Zero Carbon Campaign has called for a tax of £75 per ton of carbon by 2030 to help the country cut its emissions.

That would mean air passenger duty (APD) on a flight to Sydney would increase to £275 from the current price of £84, according to calculations by the group.

Such a carbon price would mean even bigger ticket prices for those flying business class to Sydney from London, as they would face taxes of nearly £800, more than £600 above current APD. Business-class passengers have higher carbon footprints than economy, as they are given more leg room.

However, Hannah Dillon, the head of Zero Carbon Campaign, said it would not necessarily want to see such extreme price rises, because of the impact on airlines and business. “In order to reduce emissions from aviation, we must ensure that the environmental impacts of air travel are factored into the costs of flying,” she said.

“Reforming APD so that it more accurately reflects the emissions intensity of travel is a good place to start, as we work to secure an international agreement for introducing a carbon price on aviation fuel.”

The impact would be felt most highly on long-haul flights and business class. A flight to Berlin from London, which is taxed at £13, already pays an effective carbon price of £58, above the current market rate. The aviation industry has indicated that a carbon price of £75/ tCO2 could drive investment in sustainable fuels and other green technology.