Travel
from UK is disturbing by the increasing Rising Air Passenger Duty
(APD).
The
air tax paid by all travelers flying from the UK, has risen by up to
360 per cent in the last five years and more increases are expected
to arrive soon.
According
to a survey conducted
by the Airport Operators Association at 26 airports state
that there is a big concern about the impact of the tax on
connectivity and passenger numbers. Severalairports highlighted
routes which they claim have been lost as a result of APD, while more
than half said they expected passenger numbers to fall next year if
the tax is increased again.
Gatwick
Airport said flights to Kuala Lumpur, operated by Air
Asia X until March, were scrapped due to
APD, Bristol Airport
said several domestic
services were cut because of the tax, and
Glasgow Prestwick Airport said routes to Stansted, Belfast,
Bournemouth, Dublin, Shannon, Gothenburg, Oslo and Stockholm had all
been hit because of APD.
The
tax was also blamed for the loss of flights between Southampton and
Leeds-Bradford, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Brussels, while Cambridge and
Derry airports said it was preventing both from expanding
their services.
Telegraph
Travel reported last year that passenger numbers at Britain’s
smaller airports had fallen by up to 70 per cent since
2007.
Just
1.2 million people passed through Cardiff Airport last year, compared
with more than two million in 2006. The recommendation followed the
Government’s decision last year to reduce APD on long-haul flights
from Belfast from £60 to £12 in a bid to save Northern Ireland’s
only remaining long-haul route, Continental’s service to Newark.
Following
the most recent rise in APD, an eight per cent increase in April, a
family of four travelling to Europe must pay £52 in tax, but those
flying farther afield are hit even harder. A family of four flying
to New
York,
for example, is liable for £260 in APD, one visiting the Caribbean
must pay £324, while those heading to Australia are hit with a £368
tax bill.
Source: Telegraph
Source: Telegraph
