Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of private jet flights paid the higher rate of Air Passenger Duty in the last ten years; if he will make it his policy to levy the higher rate of Air Passenger Duty on all private jet flights; and if he will make a statement.

Air Passenger Duty (APD) is the UK's principal tax on the aviation sector. There are different rates according to a passenger's class of travel and the distance of their journey. The tax raised £3.18 billion in 2022/23 and its primary objective is to ensure that airlines make a fair contribution to the public finances.

The APD Higher rate applies to larger and more luxurious private and business jets, which are 20 tonnes or more and equipped to carry fewer than 19 passengers. Data on the number of passengers liable for different rates of APD can be found in the APD bulletin on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/air-passenger-duty-bulletin

Since APD applies on a per-passenger basis, HMRC does not collect information on the number of flights by private and business jets.

As with all taxes, the government keeps APD under review and any changes are announced by the Chancellor at fiscal events.