Aviation tax post April - daylight robbery

If you are thinking of flying to Australia in Business Class (and First for that matter) from 1 April onwards, and paying yourself, do be aware that the UK government tax APD (Air Passenger Duty) is an astonishing £601, up from the current £554. This charge was announced by the then Chancellor Rishi Sunak in the Autumn Budget 2021.  

For those adults sitting at the back end you pay £91 APD (currently £84) to Oz.  The Business Class £185 charge becomes £200. With say a family group booking separate tickets via an intermediate stop, but not an actual official connecting service, the savings can be considerable.  Another alternative is to make a short holiday in Northern Ireland (APD is not payable) and then either take a connecting flight out or travel via Dublin.  

The good news is that on that on April Fool’s Day, APD on domestic services with a seat pitch of less than 40 inches is reduced from £13 to £6.50.  Industry opinion indicates that for the most part passengers will not notice the reduction.  For Europe, APD remains at £13 and also stays at £26 in Business Class.  Children under the age of 16 on the day of travel are exempted.

The figures are calculated on the distance from London to the capital of the destination country. The long-haul bands have been split with the new Band C over 5,500 miles, and B 2,001 miles.  Band A effectively means Europe.  Israel, a popular holiday destination, misses out with the capital Jerusalem 2,200 miles away, and Cairo 2,197 likewise, but most of North Africa is within the cheapest band. First Class in B is raised to £574 (from £554) and Business Class £200 (previously £185).

Typical capitals with the Band B listing include Doha (for UAE) 3,401, São Paulo 5,800 and Brasilia 5,130 but legal under the rules and likewise Honolulu, 7,200 miles but calculated for Washington.

For guidance see www.gov.uk/guidance/rates-and-allowances-for-air-passenger-duty

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