UK Air Passenger Duty is a tax on flights departing from any airport in the United Kingdom, excluding Airports in Northern Ireland and the Scottish Highlands and Islands region. This is why even your award flight taxes and surcharges are higher than those of flights coming to the UK. However, there are still ways in which you can minimize UK Air Passenger Duty.
How much UK Air Passenger Duty do you need to pay?
UK Air Passenger Duty is complex and varies based on a few things.
Your UK Air Passenger Duty will depend on the following:
- Domestic or International Travel
- Layover
- Departing Airport
- Distance Between London and Final Destination Capital City, If International Travel
- Cabin Class Seat Pitch
Source: Official Link.
UK Air Passenger Duty Rates w.e.f. 1st April 2024
| Destination Bands | Destination Distance | Reduced Rate [Economy] | Standard Rate [Others] | Higher Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | Domestic | £7 [INR 700] | £14 [INR 1500] | £78 [INR 8200] |
| Band A | 0 to 2000 Miles | £13 [INR 1350] | £26 [INR 2700] | £78 [INR 8200] |
| Band B | 2001 to 5500 Miles | £88 [INR 9300] | £194 [INR 20500] | £581 [INR 61000] |
| Band C | More than 5500 Miles | £92 [INR 9700] | £202 [INR 21300] | £607 [INR 64000] |
For Simplicity, a reduced rate will be applied for cabins with a seat pitch of less than 40 inches. So, the economy will mostly be charged at a reduced rate. whereas you will need to pay the standard rate for other premium economy, business classes or first class.
A higher rate is only payable for travel in planes of 20 tonnes or more equipped to carry fewer than 19 passengers.
Note: There is no APD for tickets for children up to 16 flying in economy cabin class.
Minimize UK Air Passenger Duty with Layover or Stopover
A layover makes calculating UK Air Passenger Duty a bit complex. However, it is a great way to minimize on-duty.
Here is a simple rule: if your connecting flight is after 24 hours, it will be treated as a new flight, and if it does not depart from the UK, it will have no UK Passenger duty. Example: London to New York via Paris with a 24-hour layover at Paris. Paris to New York will have no UK Air Passenger Duty.
Flights connecting via the UK with less than 24-hour layovers are not considered connecting flights and will not have UK Air Passenger Duty—for example, Paris to New York via London with less than a 24-hour layover. No passenger duty will be charged since the layover will not exceed 24 hours.
Many programs, such as Aeroplan, United Mileage, and Flying Blue, provide free or low-cost stopovers.
Minimize UK Air Passenger Duty By Travelling Economy
It may sound easy to minimize UK air passenger duty by travelling in an economy cabin instead of a premium cabin. However, this option makes sense as you can save some money.
Minimize UK Air Passenger Duty by Repositioning Flights
Direct flights from Northern Ireland to Band B & C Countries are exempt. However, flights from the Scottish Highlands and Islands region are exempt from anywhere. Also, flights from Dublin, Ireland, don’t have Air Passenger Duty. So, you have three ways to reposition your flights to minimize UK Air Passenger Duty.
Northern Ireland or Fly to a Nearby Country
Only the George Best Belfast City Airport in Northern Ireland has a year-round International flight to Amsterdam by KLM. Since Amsterdam is a Band A destination, you will still have to pay UK Passenger Airport Duty; however, you will only need to pay £13 [€ 15.20] for economy or premium economy or £26 [€ 30.41] for business class. If you have a further connecting flight with less than a 24-hour layover, duty will be charged based on this connecting flight.
Flying Blue members enjoy free stopovers so that you can save some money with a more than 24-hour stopover in Amsterdam. This option can also be used for flights from London to a Band A country.
Fly from Inverness
Scottish Highlands and Islands has eleven airports, but only Inverness has flights from International Airlines like British Airways and KLM. If you are flying from Inverness with British Airways, make sure your layover is less than 24 hours, whereas there will be no issue with KLM flights.
KLM Flights:
Fly From Dublin
You can take cheap flights to Dublin and almost everywhere without paying high UK Airport Passenger Duty. Several airlines fly from Dublin, so you don’t have to worry about reaching your destination.
Bottomline
UK Air Passenger Duty can significantly increase travel costs. There are a few ways to minimize it, but there is no concrete way to minimize it with zero costs.
