easyJet calls for Air Passenger Duty to be reformed

The rise, to £12 on flights within Europe, means the tax will have increased by 140% since 2007.

APD is a bad environmental tax as there is no relation between the level of the tax and the level of emissions and easyJet, along with environmental groups and other airlines, has long called for a complete overhaul of APD.

The issues surrounding the fairness of the tax remain unaddressed. Transfer passengers joining flights departing from the UK pay no tax and those travelling on private jets remain exempt while ordinary passengers bear the full burden of the tax.

Reform of APD is included in the Government's coalition agreement. Both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats made reform of APD from a poll tax on passengers into a fairer and greener per plane tax a firm manifesto commitment.

easyJet's Chief Executive Carolyn McCall said:

"The Government should reform Air Passenger Duty to make it fairer for the public and to encourage greener behaviour by airlines. APD is already higher in the UK than anywhere else in Europe and UK passengers and the environment would be better off if the tax was shifted from per person to a per plane tax."