Air Passenger Duty: how much tax is inside your UK air ticket

Every air ticket out of the UK carries a government tax you never see as a separate line when you buy: Air Passenger Duty. On a short hop it is eight pounds; on a long-haul business seat it is more than two hundred and fifty. And if you end up not flying, part of that money can come back — even on a non-refundable fare.

What is Air Passenger Duty and who pays it?

Formally the airline pays, for every passenger departing from the UK. In practice the passenger does: GOV.UK states that ticket prices usually include a charge to cover the cost. The duty applies to departures from the UK only — there is none on the way back from abroad.

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The amount turns on two things: where you are going and in which class.

How is the distance measured: what are bands A, B and C?

Distance is measured not to your airport but from London to the capital city of the destination country. That gives four bands:

Domestic — flights within England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Band A — up to 2,000 miles. Band B — 2,001 to 5,500 miles. Band C — over 5,500 miles; since 1 April 2023 anything not falling in the earlier bands sits in C.

There are also three rate classes. Reduced — the lowest class of travel on board, where seat pitch is under 1.016 m (40 inches). Standard — any other class, or a seat pitch over 40 inches. Higher — aircraft of 20 tonnes or more fitted to carry fewer than 19 passengers, that is business jets.

How much duty is in a 2026 ticket?

Rates in force from 1 April 2026 (reduced / standard / higher):

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Domestic — £8 / £16 / £142. Band A — £15 / £32 / £142. Band B — £102 / £244 / £1,097. Band C — £106 / £253 / £1,141.

So two adults flying economy into band B hand the Treasury £204 before a penny of the fare itself. In business class the same pair pay £488.

What changes on 1 April 2027?

The new rates are already published, and for the first time they are not round numbers: £8.26 / £16.52 / £146.63 domestic, £15.49 / £33.04 / £146.63 in band A, £105.33 / £251.95 / £1,132.76 in band B and £109.46 / £261.25 / £1,178.20 in band C — a rise of roughly three per cent. Book a summer 2027 flight early and you are already paying the new rate.

Who pays no duty at all?

There are more exemptions than most passengers realise, and two of them touch almost every family:

Children under 2 without their own seat are exempt in any class. Children under 16 on the date of the flight are exempt too, but only in the lowest class of travel. Put a child in business and the duty is charged as for an adult. The same applies to an infant for whom a seat was bought.

Connections. A passenger is exempt on the second and subsequent flights of a connected journey — the duty is paid once, on the departure. But if the UK departure is in the lowest class and the onward leg is in a higher one, the standard rate applies.

The Scottish Highlands and Islands. Departures from airports in the region are exempt: the Highland Region, the Western Isles, Orkney, Shetland, Argyll and Bute, Arran, Great Cumbrae and Little Cumbrae, and specified parishes in Moray District. Note that flying into the region from elsewhere in the UK is not exempt.

Northern Ireland. Direct long-haul flights from Northern Ireland in bands B and C carry nil duty. Indirect flights do not get that treatment.

Flight crew and cabin attendants are exempt, as are staff travelling at the airline's expense to escort passengers or goods, carry out repair, maintenance, safety or security work, or handle food and drink — where the duty is performed within 72 hours of the flight. Military, police, customs and search-and-rescue flights are outside the duty, along with humanitarian flights, authorised emergency medical flights, public service obligation routes and research and training flights.

One more case is transit: if the aircraft stops en route and you stay on board without changing aircraft, the leg after the stop is exempt.

Can you get the duty back if you do not fly?

Yes. GOV.UK says plainly that if you do not fly you may be able to get back what you paid towards Air Passenger Duty. You claim it from the airline, and it may charge an administration fee.

That is the single most useful thing to know about APD. The fare may be non-refundable under its own rules, but the state only keeps duty for a passenger who actually flew. If you cancelled, missed the flight or simply did not show up, a claim for the duty can be made — separately from any refund of the ticket itself.