The boss of Flybe has urged the government to ‘stop punishing Manchester’ with Air Passenger Duty.
The airline’s chief executive Saad Hammad, who was at Manchester airport for a board meeting, issued an appeal for the government to reassess the tax at this week’s Conservative party conference.
Hammad said Manchester was “pivotal” to the airline’s growth, with 200 staff, 112 flights a day and 1.74 million annual passengers at the hub.
There are eight aircraft based at Manchester, with 20 routes on offer. The airline has just added six extra flights between Manchester and Exeter.
But Hammad told the Manchester Evening News that future growth was hindered by APD.
“We need the government to listen to Manchester,” he said.
“We need them to listen to the needs of our regional audience. We’ve been talking to the government saying APD is unfair, it feels like a tax on the regions and is not consistent with a policy of wanting a balanced economic recovery.
“We have the highest aviation tax of any country in the world bar Niger and Chad.
“I’m hoping we’ll hear some good news at the conference – I’m always hopeful.
“George Osborne has given a massive tax break to the long haul operators – £1 billion over five years – but not to the regionals, shorter haul and domestic operators.”
He said taxes meant regional passengers were paying around 6p per mile, while long-haul flyers on a 6,000-mile flight would pay around 1p per mile.
On a £50 flight, tax would amount to £13 per passenger.
He said Manchester’s ‘huge potential’ was hindered by the tax, adding: “If you want to balance the economy and have a one nation economy you need to avoid discriminating against the regional traveller. We feel this tax is an impediment to economic activity. It’s senseless.
“It could be the unintended consequences of policy, but I’m saying the government should be aware of the consequences.”