EasyJet has demanded a reform of Air Passenger Duty ahead of the tax being raised again on Monday.
The airline’s chief executive Carolyn McCall said: “The government should reform Air Passenger Duty to make it fairer for the public and to encourage greener behaviour by airlines.
“APD is already higher in the UK than anywhere else in Europe and UK passengers and the environment would be better off if the tax was shifted from per person to a per plane tax.”
The budget carrier calculates that the next rise, from £11 to £12 on flights within Europe, means that the tax will have increased by 140% since 2007.
easyJet described APD as a “bad environmental tax” as there is no relation between the level of the tax and the level of emissions.
EasyJet, along with environmental groups and other airlines, has long called for a complete overhaul of APD.
“The issues surrounding the fairness of the tax remain unaddressed,” the airline said.
“Transfer passengers joining flights departing from the UK pay no tax and those travelling on private jets remain exempt while ordinary passengers bear the full burden of the tax.
“Reform of APD is included in the Government’s coalition agreement. Both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats made reform of APD from a poll tax on passengers into a fairer and greener per plane tax a firm manifesto commitment.”