Air Passenger Duty (APD) is a departure tax levied on most air travel. Each geographical band has two rates of Air Passenger Duty, one for standard class and the second for ‘other’ higher classes of travel (usually premium economy / business / first class).
The band A (short-haul) rate ranges from £13 for a standard class journey and £26 for an ‘other’ class of travel remain unchanged from 1 April 2019. The Band B (long-haul) rates for journeys over 2,000 miles range from £78 to £172 a small increase over the 2018-19 rates.
Passengers using certain classes of private jets face even higher charges. The short-haul band remains frozen at £78 but the long-haul rates have increased to £515 (from £468).
Children under 16 are exempt from APD when travelling in standard economy class. There are also exemptions from APD for flights from airports in the Scottish Highlands and Islands as well as an exemption for direct long-haul flights departing from Northern Ireland.