New £244 prices on flights to USA, Caribbean, Dubai and India from April | UK | News | EUROtoday

Flights heading to standard long-haul vacation hotspots together with the United States, the Caribbean, Dubai and India can be hit with a brand new £244 cost from April. Air Passenger Duty (APD) charges are attributable to improve subsequent month which is more likely to have a knock-on impact for air fares, leading to costlier ticket costs for passengers. APD is a tax paid by airline operators to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for passengers departing from UK airports, with the charges various relying on the size of flights and the category of journey.

It applies to passengers aged 16 or over travelling on each home and worldwide flights and was first launched in 1994 to offset the environmental affect of air journey. While the tax is paid by airline operators, ticket costs normally embrace a cost to cowl this value and airways then move the charge to HMRC, so any hike to APD usually means costlier air fares for UK passengers.

HMRC has confirmed the brand new APD charges from April 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027, and relying on the place you’re travelling to and what class you’re travelling in, the charges range from simply £8 as much as a whopping £1,141 per individual.

Economy passengers pay a decrease APD charge, with enterprise and firstclass passengers incurring increased prices, however the charge varies primarily based on the place you’re flying.

The flight taxes are divided into 4 bands, with the most cost effective being home flights and people who fall into Band A, however for these planning a long-haul flight of greater than 2,001 miles, the costs begin to get way more costly, which implies increased prices to journey to the likes of the USA, Canada, the Caribbean, United Arab Emirates and India, amongst different locations.

Band B covers flights between 2,001 to five,500 miles and for economic system passengers travelling to locations on this class, charges will go up from £216 to £244 from April, whereas these in increased courses can pay £1,097 as a substitute of £647.

On the cheaper finish, home flight prices for economic system class are rising from £14 to £16 from April, whereas enterprise class charges will go up from £84 to £142.

Band A covers flights from zero to 2,000 miles, which would come with all of Europe and nearly all of North Africa, so journey to Spain, France, Portugal and Greece, amongst different standard European hotspots, would fall into this class.

Economy passengers travelling to Band A locations can be hit with a £28 cost from April 1 – a rise of £4 from the present £32 charge – whereas these flying enterprise, first or premium economic system will see charges go up from £84 to £142.

The costliest flights fall into Band C, which applies to locations over 5,500 miles from the UK, comparable to Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and Thailand. From April, economic system charges on this class are rising from £224 to £253, whereas premium charges are going up from £674 to £1,141.

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The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) predicts the most recent improve will generate £5.2 billion for the exchequer by 2027, in comparison with £4.6 billion this yr.

Here is a full breakdown of the brand new APD charges from April 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027, for flights in every band:

Band A (flights from 0 to 2,000 miles)

Band B (flights from 2,001 to five,500 miles)

Band C (flights greater than 5,500 miles)