Tax on shopping and services
Air Passenger Duty
Airlines pay Air Passenger Duty (APD) for every passenger who flies from the UK. Ticket prices usually include a charge to cover this cost.
You do not pay VAT on the cost of flights.
The amount of APD the airline pays depends on how far away your destination is and the class you travel in.
On commercial passenger flights the duty costs from £7 to £224 per flight. There are higher charges for some private passenger planes or charters.
There’s no APD on long-haul flights from Northern Ireland or flights from the Scottish Highlands and Islands region.
You can check rates for Air Passenger Duty paid by operators.
If you do not take a flight
If you do not take a flight you may be able to get a refund of anything you paid to cover APD costs.
Contact your airline to see if you can get a refund. You may have to pay an administration fee.