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24 - Jan - 2017

Ryanair Boss Urges Government to Axe Air Passenger Duty at Regional Airports

Outspoken Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has urged that Air Passenger Duty (APD) be removed at regional airports such as Liverpool. He hit out at the government for its policies on air taxation and airport expansion and warned that the UK’s economy would fall after Brexit.

Ryanair is among other budget airlines that have long objected to APD, that sees adults on short haul flights from the UK pay £13 each.

While meeting the ECHO at Liverpool Airport, MR. O’Leary said: “We are selling hundreds of thousands of seats at the moment for £9.99, out of which we pay £13 APD.

“When people talk about Ryanair and how we have this plan to allow people to fly for free - we’re paying you to fly with us at the moment.

“Fine, we’re big enough to be able to do it, and people will come back at Easter and during the summer and pay a bit more than £9.99 but nevertheless APD is a huge disincentive, particularly for regional airports.”

He added that Manchester and London airports are less affected by APD because they have huge bases, but the tax impedes growth for regional airports such as Liverpool, Leeds-Bradford and Birmingham, whose customers are price-sensitive.

“Slapping on a £13 tax on those price-sensitive customers particularly when you have three-four people in a family going away on a family holiday, you’ve just added the guts of £60 to the cost of their holiday,” he said

Mr. O’Leary called on Teresa May to get rid of APD to show that Britain is open to the rest of the world. Reduced or better still, complete removal of the air passenger travel tax, he said, would boost tourism in the UK.

By Airport Pickups London