The Scottish Passenger Agents’ Association (SPAA) is teaming up with Abta to campaign against increases in Air Passenger Duty (APD) as fears grow over a shortage of routes from Scotland to Heathrow.
As well as taking part in Abta’s Fair Tax on Flying campaign, the organisation has been speaking to the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, Glasgow Marketing Board, Visit Scotland, the Scottish Council for Development and the Institute of Travel and Meetings about APD and lack of capacity to Heathrow.
The SPAA believes APD, combined with a hike in domestic fees at Heathrow, due in April, will put pressure on domestic routes.
BMI is to suspend its Glasgow-Heathrow route on March 27, and the SPAA fears its Edinburgh and Aberdeen to Heathrow routes could follow. However, the airline has insisted it remains committed to those.
Ryanair has also cut down to just one or two flights a day between Glasgow Prestwick and Stansted from up to eight a day.
Speaking at the 81st annual dinner in Glasgow last week, SPAA president Brian Potter said: “We all, agents and suppliers, collect APD free of charge, while the majority of passengers have no idea they are paying a government tax.”
He said there were fears that the government, which is currently reviewing APD, would increase domestic tax while reducing the burden on other destinations, such as the Caribbean, adding: “This would be a further blow to our domestic air routes.”
Potter said: “The lack of choice for travel to, and connecting through, Heathrow will affect Scottish businesses. It is the main UK airport with the best UK global connections.
“Higher domestic fees would have an impact on all domestic airlines and could affect the viability of other domestic routes.”