Cutting Air Passenger Duty ahead of COP26 is 'tone-deaf', says charity

Responding to the Budget, Paul Tuohy, Chief Executive of Campaign for Better Transport, said: 

"In the looming shadow of the climate emergency and with COP26 just days away, the decision to cut Air Passenger Duty on domestic flights is utterly wrong-headed. Ours is not a large country: many of these journeys can be made in just a few hours by train with just one-seventh the carbon impact [1]. 

"We welcome the increased funding for local transport in city regions, but the commitment to spend billions on road building and continue to freeze fuel duty will come as cold comfort to the many households with no car who continue to be pummelled by rising rail and bus fares.

"How can our leaders hold their heads high at COP26 with this tone-deaf Budget still ringing in delegates' ears?"

ENDS

Notes to Editors

1. Campaign for Better Transport is calling for a ban on all domestic flights where the equivalent train journey can be made in under five hours, as well as other measures to curb domestic aviation.