The UK government has given air travellers a temporary reprieve by delaying its proposed air passenger duty (APD) Increase until 2012.
The extra duty will impact most heavily on long haul travellers to and from the UK.
As part of the decision to delay the tax increase, the UK government also said it would study reforms to the APD structure, which has been criticised for charging ex-UK passengers more to fly to the Caribbean than to California, and for the higher fees imposed on premium travellers including those in premium economy or economy plus.
IATA, the International Air Transport Association, said the delay in imposing the higher tax was “good news for Britain, its businesses, visitors and its holidaymakers… but much more needs to be doneâ€.
“Air passenger taxes in this island nation, which relies on air transport for connectivity, are still the highest in the world,†said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s director general and CEO.
IATA, he said, would continue to urge the UK to commit to abandoning completely its APD
“Even without the planned increase, the UK collects more than GBP 2 billion pounds annually in the name of the environment through APD.
“That is enough to offset the entire annual carbon footprint of the UK aviation sector four times over,†Bisignani said.
