The UK Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has revealed plans to reform how Air Passenger Duty (APD) is applied to travelers on flights taking off from the country. Domestic flights will see a lower rate of APD applied. However, those on ultra-long-haul flights will suffer, with an increased rate applied.
Air Passenger Duty has been a hot topic when discussing aviation in the UK over the past year. It was one of the factors cited in the demise of Flybe and has attracted criticism from a range of other operators. Now, the UK government is taking steps to address the issue.
Changes coming into force
Presenting his budget to the House of Commons earlier today, Chancellor Rishi Sunak revealed that the UK would shake up its current APD regulations, according to Sky News. From April 2023, the changes will mean that domestic travelers will see their APD cut in half, something Sunak says will,
“Bring people together across the United Kingdom, and because they tend to have a greater proportion of domestic passengers, it is a boost to regional airports like Aberdeen, Belfast, Inverness, and Southhampton.”
This move will likely be welcomed by all domestic airlines, particularly those without significant international operations. APD was seen as a big part of the fall of Flybe. Passengers used to have a return flight APD exemption, but the UK was required to remove this in 2001.
A trade-off for long-haul passengers
While the changes to APD are great news for domestic travelers, those who like to venture further afield will end up paying more APD when flying. Sunak revealed that the economy rate for flights over 5,500 miles (8,851 kilometers) will increase to £91 from April 2023. He didn’t reveal what the premium economy, business class, and first class rates would be.
The increased APD seems to be angled as a form of carbon emissions tax, with Sunak commenting,
“We’re also making changes to reduce carbon emissions from aviation. Most emissions come from international, rather than domestic aviation. We are introducing from April 2023 a new ultra-long-haul band in air passenger duty… less than 5% of passengers will pay more, but those who fly the furthest will pay the most.”
As Sunak mentioned, the change will only impact a handful of passengers. The majority of destinations served by carriers from the UK will fall within 5,500 miles. The primary destinations affected will include the likes of Singapore, Hong Kong, southeast China, South Africa, and the farther destinations in South America. Qantas will also face the increased tax on flights to Australia.
According to data from Cirium, only 19 routes further than 5,500 miles from their origin are planned to depart the UK in November. These are,
| Bangkok - Thailand | Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia | Seoul Incheon - South Korea |
| Brunei - Brunei | Manila - Philippines | Shanghai - China |
| Buenos Aires - Argentina | Mauritius - Mauritius | Singapore - Singapore |
| Cape Town - South Africa | Mexico City - Mexico City | Taipei - Taiwan |
| Darwin - Australia | Osaka - Japan | Tokyo Haneda - Japan |
| Hong Kong - Hong Kong | Phuket - Thailand | |
| Johannesburg - South Africa | Puerto Vallarta - Mexico |
Is it worth it?
While Sunak angled the change at reducing carbon emissions, one must wonder how much of an impact the charge will have. Passengers currently pay an APD of £82 on such flights in the economy cabin, rising to £84 in April 2022. An extra £7 doesn’t seem like it will make a huge impact. The increase is by 7.7%. Applying the same boost to the standard rate of £185 for premium economy and upwards, the fee is only around an extra £14.
While passengers will pay more, such low increases seem unlikely to put many passengers off. It also doesn’t seem that the government will spend the money on reducing emissions. At the Airlines for Europe AGM in 2020, Ryanair Group CEO Michael O’Leary commented,
“The UK raises billions each year in APD, and not one pound has ever been spent on the environment. We have sent three or four separate questions to the treasury in the UK asking them to identify even one environmental project that APD has been spent on. They can’t even identify one.”
While Willie Walsh, then CEO of British Airways owner IAG and now Director-General of IATA, added,
“IAG paid €967 million in air passenger duty in the UK last year, not a single cent of that money went to environmental research or environmental support. The idea that we add more taxes is just damaging to the industry because it is reducing our ability to invest in new technology, and our ability to invest in sustainable biofuels, and our ability to invest in research and development.”
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So, what is APD?
APD, or Air Passenger Duty, is a fee charged for every passenger on a plane weighing 5.7 tonnes or more and fueled by kerosene regardless of whether passengers have paid for the flight or not. There is a limited set of exceptions, such as passengers on pleasure flights arriving at the same airport within 60 minutes of departure.
There are two bands to the tax. Band A includes flights where the distance from London to the destination country’s capital city is 2,000 miles or less, primarily consisting of geographic Europe. Band B includes countries where the capital city is more than 2,000 miles.
There are three types of rates. The lowest class of travel where seats have a pitch of under 40 inches (1.016m) counts as the reduced rates. Higher classes of travel or the lowest class where the pitch is more than 40 inches attract the standard rate. Meanwhile, planes weighing 20 tonnes or more carrying fewer than 19 passengers use the higher rate.
For Band A destinations, the rates of APD currently sit at £13 (reduced), £26 (standard), and £78 (higher). For Band B destinations it is £82, £180, and £541 respectively. From April 2022, these will rise to £84, £185, and £554.
Unfair on regional carriers
By halving the rate for domestic flights, the UK government is effectively putting airlines on a level playing field. A flight operating from London to Edinburgh and back would attract a basic rate of £26, compared to £13 for a flight operating from London to Paris and back.
Of the £250 million paid in APD from domestic flights in the UK in previous years, Flying was responsible for £106. It had pleaded with the UK to cut APD by half, but it seems that the drop came too late. Burdened partly by the cost of APD, Flybe ceased operations in early March 2020.
What do you make of the UK Government’s planned APD reform? Let us know what you think and why in the comments!
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