The UK is looking to lower air passenger duty on domestic flights. This news is strongly welcomed by the airline industry that incurred billions in losses in the last 12 months.
The tax is currently at £13 per passenger departing from a UK airport. Air passenger duty was increased last week by £2 for long flights to £84. However, short-haul flights including domestic flights remained the same.
Boris Johnson released a statement via the Department of Transport saying: “I want to cut passenger duty on domestic flights”. The reason for this move is to “support connectivity across the country”.
Airport Operators Association chief executive Karen Dee said that “Domestic aviation suffered a double hit in the last year”. She calls the move “a glimmer of hope for the future”.
UK’s airline industry has been vocal regarding the lack of government support in their sector. The earliest resumption of international travel will be on May 17 as officials struggle to contain the new COVID19 variants. With a cautious approach, Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to end England’s lockdown.
More Carbon Footprint
Chief scientist for Greenpeace UK Dr. Doug Parr said that this move could continue our “nonsensical trend”. The environmentalist group fears that this could lead to higher carbon emissions. He said that “the aviation industry has to be smarter than it was before the pandemic”.
Greenpeace isn’t alone in its sentiment. Earth Climate campaigner Jenny Bates called this move a “beggars belief” thinking that it would encourage air passengers to travel more around the UK. She said that “our climate has been paying the price for cheap air travel for too long”. She suggests that the government should take steps towards improving “public transport more affordable” and not reduce the cost of “high-carbon air travel”.
Chief executive of Better Transport Paul Tuohy said that this move is “enormously disappointing”.
Connecting UK
Though UK plans to cut the APD for domestic flights, this is just part of the government’s approach to boost transport connectivity. They are also committing £20 million to upgrade rails, roads, and improve sea and air links in the UK.
