Budget 2011: EasyJet welcomes freeze in air passenger duty

Budget airline easyJet has welcomed the announcement by Chancellor George Osborne that there will be no rise in air passenger duty.

As part of the Budget, Mr Osborne said that as well as freezing air passenger duty he would introduce a tax on passengers of private jets.

EasyJet said it agreed with the move but was not without criticism of today's announcement.

Carolyn McCall, Chief Executive of easyJet, said, "The decision to tax passengers on private jets is a step in the right direction, as is the decision to postpone any rise in the APD. However, the continued omission of transfer passengers from APD undermines what the Coalition promised to achieve by replacing it with a fairer, greener per plane tax. By removing this subsidy to foreign transfer passengers, four out of five British travellers would be better off. easyJet supports the Government's desire to be the 'greenest Government ever' and will continue to campaign in favour of a fundamental review of APD."