Chancellor Alistair Darling has been urged by airlines not to push ahead with further planning rises in Air Passenger Duty in November 2010.
The Board of Airline Representatives in the UK has written to the Chancellor ahead of tomorrow’s pre-Budget announcement.
The body that represents more than 90 scheduled airlines said: “It is not too late to rescind the November 2010 increases and BAR UK urges the government to do so before it finds out, too late, how destructive its policies are for the economies of this country and several overseas.
“It is our intention that the Treasury continue to hear from the marketplace how APD will have devastating effects and a number of options are being explored to do so in the most effective manner.”
The organisation’s chief executive Mike Carrivick said: “This discriminatory tax against air travellers has caused huge concerns, not just amongst airlines and their passengers, but also travel agents, tour operators and through more than one diplomatic channel.
“The airline industry has continued to be adversely affected in recent months by the on-going economic crises that affect various countries, linked to the need to promote air travel at low rates that will be difficult to sustain in the future.
“The regulatory burden imposed by a number of countries continues to be a concern, as does a recent judgment in the European Court of Justice concerning compensation for delayed passengers.”
Passengers are being asked to can add their name to a campaign to get APD scrapped by visiting the BAR UK website: http://www.bar-uk.org/topics/apd.htm
by Phil Davies
