Reform of Air Passenger Duty (APD) was one of the centrepieces of last year’s PBR and was greeted with cheers from across the Party divide.

This year the reform has been ditched and a widely-derided tax which hits hard-working families but not private jets becomes even worse!

Andy Harrison, easyJet’s Chief Executive said:

“I am dismayed that the Chancellor has failed to carry through his commitment to reform a bad tax. All Parties agreed that APD needed to be changed to a tax on planes not people, but now the Government has succeeded in bodging-up the reform of an already bodged tax. He has made a bad situation worse by increasing the burden of APD on hard working families.

“The Chancellor said that he wouldn’t allow the economic crisis to “push aside the importance of protecting the environment” but his green credentials have been brushed aside in a dash for cash and the emissions from cargo planes, private jets and transfer passengers continue to be tax free. So, Roman Abramovich, FedEx and Heathrow’s transfer passengers will continue to be exempt, but hard-working families going on their summer holiday on environmentally-efficient low-fare airlines will now pay even more!!”