Group of 10 regional airports want a congestion tax on flights from Heathrow and Gatwick
Date added: 17 June, 2011
Levy tax on Heathrow and Gatwick trips, airports urge
and Gatwick, a group of UK regional airports has told the government.
air passenger duty has a damaging and disproportionate impact on the regions.
on long-haul flights – makes it “incredibly difficult” for non-London airports
to attract airlines to start new services, consequently hitting jobs, inward investment
and wealth creation in the regions.
airports urged the introduction of a congestion-related tax – a move that would
affect Heathrow and Gatwick, Britain’s two busiest airports.
an economic incentive for airlines and passengers to make better use of capacity
elsewhere
and have a far lower percentage of business travellers, inbound tourists or wealthy
passengers with a high propensity to fly. “Without decisive action, the gap between
the largest London airports and those in the regions will go on increasing,” they
say.
differential taxes can be compatible with European Union state aid rules.
used, measured by ACL, the independent UK slot co-ordination authority. Their
proposal would mean ditching APD and possibly introducing a lower-rate, generally
imposed tax, supplemented by a congestion tax.
Impose congestion charge on Heathrow, say UK regional airports
from
when they had huge capacity available.
economic regeneration.
with
to £170 for a business class traveller going to
The open letter was sent in response to the Chancellor’s consultation on APD reform.
to regional airports. They have no incentive to migrate from the crowded airports
to those in the regions where there is capacity.”
said: “Clearly it has to be enough of a gap to make a difference to passengers,
but that’s a matter for the Chancellor.”
airports support jobs and growth, whether via connections to the regions or links
to other major economies that can only be provided by a hub like Heathrow. Both
are important, and the real issue is not differential taxation but the fact that
UK passengers pay more airport tax than anyone else in Europe. That hurts the
economy.”
while Gatwick is running at 80 per cent capacity.
for responses is tomorrow.
Posted: Friday, June 17th, 2011. Filed in General News.