LONDON — British Airways chief executive Sean Doyle urged the U.K. government to address affordability issues for international visitors, including reducing air passenger duty and adopting a lower-cost Heathrow expansion. The U.K. government has set a target of attracting 50 million international visitors by 2030.
Doyle spoke at the International Air Transport Association annual summit in Rio de Janeiro. He said aviation taxes impose a higher financial cost on families visiting the U.K. compared to families traveling within Europe. U.K. air passenger duty rates increased by 15 percent in April. The revised air passenger duty applies to domestic flights at £8 per passenger, European departures at £15, and premium economy long-haul flights at up to £253.
The U.K. currently receives approximately 40 million international visitors annually. Doyle stated that fragmented U.K. rail networks and a lack of tourist rail passes result in tourism being concentrated in London and Edinburgh. Doyle said, "If we want to hit 50 million and want the economic benefit of that, we're going to have to change the affordability proposition to tourists."
British Airways and other airlines have requested that the U.K. government choose a lower-cost alternative for Heathrow Airport expansion rather than the current £33 billion proposal. Doyle said, "There's an ambition on infrastructure expansion in Heathrow, but if the cost is too high, the other side of that growth, which is airlines coming in with planes and investing their capital into the sector, that may not come."
No independent assessment of Sean Doyle’s claims was available.