Leading Abta members will quiz transport secretary Justine Greening today when she visits the association’s headquarters, the morning after the industry campaign against Air Passenger Duty (APD) won an award.
A Fair Tax on Flying was recognised as the ‘best private sector public affairs campaign’ at the Public Affairs News Awards in London last night.
The campaign is aimed at reducing APD. Abta head of public affairs Luke Pollard and Airport Operators Association chief executive Darren Caplan collected the award on behalf of the industry.
Pollard told Travel Weekly: “A Fair Tax on Flying is the first time the industry has come together on a cross-industry campaign. It shows we can achieve something when we demonstrate we have good arguments.”
Abta head of communications Victoria Bacon said: “This is recognition for a very important industry campaign. There is still a lot of work to do to ensure the government does not increase this punitive tax again.”
Association members plan to question the transport secretary about Atol reform and airport capacity as well as APD, for which Greening was responsible until recently in her former role as economic secretary to the Treasury.