Air Passenger Duty

Air Passenger Duty (APD) is an excise duty which is charged on the carriage of passengers flying from a United Kingdom or Isle of Man airport on an aircraft that has an authorised take-off weight of more than ten tonnes or more than twenty seats for passengers. The duty is not payable by inbound international passengers who are booked to continue their journey (to an international destination) within 24 hours of their scheduled time of arrival in the UK. (The same exemption applies to booked onward domestic flights, but the time limits are shorter and more complex.) If a passenger "stops-over" for more than 24 hours (or the domestic limit, if applicable), duty is payable in full.

Rates

As part of the 2008 Pre-Budget Report, Air Passenger Duty was restructured. These new charges take distance into account, making long distance flying significantly more expensive. Critics of APD's claimed environmental credentials point out that the tax takes no account of the efficiency of the aircraft. An airline using an old inefficient plane is treated equally to one using the latest most efficient engines. Charges initially rose on 1 November 2009 and then again on 1 November 2010. Before this, Air Passenger Duty was controversially doubled from 1 February 2007, and the lower rate was extended to all the countries within the Single European Sky. This table summarises the changes: