Air Passenger Duty changes will come into play on 1 April, with bigger increases for longer flights and private jets.
Air Passenger Duty (APD) is set to increase on flights departing from the UK from 1 April.
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While APD is a tax on airlines and aircraft operators, costs are usually passed onto travellers at the time of booking.
Rates differ depending on how far you are flying, with bands for domestic travel as well as distances between 0 and 2,000 miles, 2,001 and 5,500 miles, and more than 5,500 miles.
The charge also depends on the class of travel, with the lowest rates for economy class passengers. The standard rate applies to seat pitches bigger than 1.016 metres – which can include premium economy as well as business and first class – while a higher rate is charged to those on an aircraft larger than 20 tonnes with fewer than 19 seats.
What are the new Air Passenger Duty costs?
The charge for passengers flying in economy class from the UK to destinations such as Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Vietnam and Thailand, among others, will increase from £94 (€108) to £106 (€122).
For passengers in higher classes, the increase will be from £224 (€258) to £253 (€292). And for those flying private, the increase will see the APD go from £673 (€776) to £1,141 (€1,315).
Economy travellers headed for Band B destinations, which include the United States, the United Arab Emirates, the Maldives, Costa Rica and Sri Lanka, will see their APD rise from £90 (€104) to £102 (€118). For higher classes, that will change from £216 (€249) to £244 (€281), and for private jet users, it will soar from £647 (€745) to £1,097 (€1,264).
Those visiting Band A destinations closer to home, which covers all countries in the EU and European Economic Area (EEA) as well as places like Gibraltar, the Canary Islands, Greenland and Monaco, will pay £15 (€17) instead of £13 (€15) if flying economy, £16 (€18.50) instead of £14 (€16) in higher classes, and £142 (€164) instead of £84 (€97) on private jets.
You can find the full details on the UK government website.
Air passenger taxes are found across Europe, with the Dutch government increasing its charges from €29.40 to €30.25 earlier this year. The fee was first introduced in 2021.
Sweden had introduced its own aviation tax in 2018, but scrapped the fee in July 2025.
Outside of Europe, Singapore became the first country around the globe to introduce a green fuel tax. It will come into force in October this year.
