Airport bosses at Liverpool John Lennon Airport have reported that they are concerned by plans for further devolution of powers to the Welsh Assembly, which could potentially give Wales the power to set Air Passenger Duty and affect Liverpool John Lennon Airports business.

Chief executive Andrew Cornish hit out when it was confirmed by the government that Wales would receive similar devolution power to those granted to Scotland:

“Liverpool is the closest airport for thousands of passengers from North Wales who choose to fly from here each year. Should plans to lower or abolish APD for airports in Wales go ahead then this is likely to have an impact on our business.

“The airport welcomes the opportunity to further contribute to the APD debate and to highlight the damage and loss of business that this tax continues to cause.

“We would hope that sense will prevail and that the Government would subsequently ensure a consistent charging regime across all parts of the UK, so as not to put airports such as Liverpool at a disadvantage compared to those in both Wales and Scotland, and to airports across Europe where aviation taxes are already significantly lower than in the UK.”

Regional airports have stated that APD, a major source of revenue for the Treasury, is a tax on growth and prevents investment from international carriers.

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Words: Peter Cribley