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Airlines

British airports blame air tax for scrapped routes and fewer flyers

Oliver Smith

Skift Take

The UK aviation industry has a different gripe than the rest of the world, which looks to rising fuel costs as the core cause of lost routes and less profits.

Rising Air Passenger Duty (APD) has contributed to the loss of dozens of routes this year, according to a survey of British airports. APD, paid by all travellers flying from the UK, has risen by up to 360 per cent in the last five years, and George Osborne, the Chancellor, is expected to confirm further increases – to come into effect next year – during his Autumn Statement on Wednesday. But the survey of 26 airports, carried out by the Airport Operators Association, revealed concern about the impact of the tax on connectivity and passenger numbers. Several airports highlighted r

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