Airline chiefs unite against ‘damaging’ passenger levy

IRELAND and Britain’s biggest airlines yesterday called on the British government to scrap Air Passenger Duty (APD), saying its negative impact on the economy was outweighing any benefit from the revenue raised.

Passengers have to pay between £24 (€28) and £170 (€200) in APD, depending on the length of flight, far more than when the tax was introduced in 1994. Business and first-class passengers also have to pay more than those in economy.

In an open letter to Britain’s finance minister George Osborne, the chiefs executive of Easyjet, Ryanair, Virgin Atlantic and British Airways owner IAG called for an independent report on the tax’s economic effects.