Alan Wardle, Director of Public Affairs, ABTA commented:

“We recognise there were tough decisions for the government in this Budget and freezing Air Passenger Duty (APD) for leisure travellers is a welcome step forward. However, we believe this is a missed opportunity to decisively cut this tax. We will continue to have the highest levels of APD in Europe and amongst the highest in the world. We will continue to push for a substantial cut which will help travellers and ensure the UK is well placed to trade with the rest of the world post Brexit.”

“We are pleased the government also announced in the Budget that it is introducing an independent review into consumer protections when airlines fail and look forward to working closely with the review body.”