Chancellor Gordon Brown is being tipped to raise the level of Air Passenger Duty paid by air passengers.
Weekend peculation suggested APD would be targeted in the pre-Budget report on Wednesday.
The tax currently stands at £5 per person for short haul economy flights within Europe, rising to £40 for long haul business flights.
Airlines fear a doubling in APD, however newspaper reports suggested that the Chancellor has ruled out punitive increases in APD which raises almost £1 billion a year for the Treasury.
Report by Phil Davies
