Henry Smith MP has welcomed confirmation that the Government will launch a public consultation on options to reduce Air Passenger Duty (APD).

The announcement from the Prime Minister (on Wednesday, 10th March) follows persistent campaigning from Crawley MP Henry Smith, which has included numerous calls in the House of Commons to reduce the burden on air passengers, the most recent of which came in January in support of the aviation sector’s recovery from the pandemic.

Henry said;

“It’s high time that the Government looked to reduce the Air Passenger Duty burden on hard-working families. This announcement comes as a timely boost as the sector aims to bounce back from the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“There will of course come a time when air travel recovers and a boost to people’s pockets through a reduction in Air Passenger Duty will help not only air passengers but those employers in the aviation, travel and tourism sectors.

“As Crawley MP and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Future of Aviation I’ll continue to stand up for Crawley and Gatwick aviation employers, workers and passengers.”

As part of the Union Connectivity Review, which is exploring ways in which transport can better connect the nations of the United Kingdom, the Government will be launching a consultation on aviation tax reform to be published this spring.

The consultation will include options to change the APD treatment for domestic flights, potentially by reintroducing a return leg exemption or through the creation of a new lower domestic rate.

The Government have confirmed that in addition to looking at the case for increasing the number of international distance bands, the Department for Transport will continue to decarbonise domestic aviation as part of the ambition to reach net zero carbon emissions, including through mandating the use of sustainable aviation fuels.