Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they undertook on air connectivity within the UK and on the wider impact on the Union, before deciding to raise aspects of Air Passenger Duty in the Budget statement announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 6 March.

At Spring Budget 2024, the Government announced a one-off adjustment to non-economy rates of Air Passenger Duty (APD) for 2025-26 to help maintain their real terms value. As a result of these changes, the APD rates for domestic flights will not rise for commercial passengers.

In line with the Government’s commitment to support UK-wide connectivity, it halved the rate of APD on domestic flights in April 2023 following the 2021 consultation on aviation tax reform. As part of the consultation, the Government engaged with the Devolved Administrations, including the Northern Ireland Executive and other organisations from Northern Ireland.

As with all taxes, the Government keeps APD rates under review.