Justin Francis: ‘It’s about time polluters paid their way’

We propose a Green Flying Duty, based on a reformed version of APD, its funds ring-fenced for researching electric aviation, and improving railways.

In a letter to The Times last week, Professor Julian Allwood highlighted how extraordinarily subsidised the aviation industry already is.

As professor of engineering and the environment at the University of Cambridge and head of the department’s The Use Less Group, he argued that a fuel tax, proportionate to that levied on the automotive industry, would raise flight prices four-fold.

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It’s a huge increase, but think how the money could help us achieve net zero UK.

The CCC has suggested a tax on oil companies and airlines could fund the planting of 100 million trees a year. But I’d like to suggest something else.

A tax of this nature could also be reinvested in aviation research, propelling us towards a decarbonised airline industry. This would shed the industry of its greatest expense, fossil fuels, and let us fly clean and green. Electric planes seem like a distant dream; let’s bring that horizon closer.

Attitudes in the industry have a long way to go. Only last week, easyJet executive Johan Lundgren called for reform of APD to recognise more efficient and in-demand airlines.

EasyJet is lobbying the government to revise the tax after the government appeared to have allowed ailing airline Flybe to delay its APD payments. Its argument, that the UK pays the highest aviation tax in the world, is irrelevant when there’s no evidence the tax disincentivises fliers.

Unless we solve the climate crisis, the airline industry will quickly collapse. The CCC’s report reads loud and clear. We hope, this time, the government will listen and act.

Justin Francis (@justinmfrancis) is co-founder and chief executive of Responsible Travel.