Call for duty cut at regional airports
Flybe has cited the Isle of Man in a high-profile campaign against UK air passenger duty (APD).
The regional operator is calling on the UK government to abolish or reform APD, claiming the departure charge falls unfairly on domestic passengers.
Flybe says the basic rate of £13 is paid on a one-way trip from Manchester to the Isle of Man of just over 100 miles - amounting to a charge of 12p per mile - with passengers paying twice on a return trip.
By comparison, the 11,000 mile journey from Manchester to Auckland, where APD is only paid on the outward flight, would cost the traveller just 0.6p per mile.
The airline has described the situation as 'an iniquity'.
Flybe chief executive Saad Hammad is calling on HM Treasury to reduce APD rates at smaller regional airports, to incentivise their use.
The Scotland and Welsh authorities are considering cuts in APD.
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