|
Travel Desk
London airports who run above 75% capacity should have a tax imposed on them similar to a congestion charge, according to a collective of regional airports lobbying the Chancellor George Osborne to impose a higher rate of air passenger duty tax on all flights from Heathrow and Gatwick. The Government is currently undertaking a consultation on reforming the air passenger duty tax which raised £2.2 billion in the year to March.
In an open letter the Chancellor the regional airports have said "we believe this is an ideal opportunity to abandon the one size fits all approach to aviation taxes and replace it with a charge on the busiest airports".
"If passengers and airlines want to fly out of airports which are congested they should pay a premium for doing so, just as motorists pay a premium to drive in Central London".
The regional airports that back the call for a congestion charge include Humberside, East Midlands, Glasgow, Prestwick, Durham and Liverpool.
The UK government was attacked by IATA last week and branded a "tax bandit" for taxing what it claimed was the "highest aviation taxes in the world".
The move to a congestion charge is hoped by the regional airports collective, would act as an incentive to passengers to fly out of regional airports, inspiring a renaissance in regional aviation and an economic boom.
|
