Air Passenger Duty (APD) is a UK government tax added to the price of almost every flight leaving a British airport, including Heathrow, and it's a major reason two tickets to different places can cost very different amounts even over similar distances. For the tax year running 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027, APD on an economy ticket is £8 for a UK domestic flight, £15 to most of Europe, £102 to places like the US or UAE, and £106 to long-haul destinations such as Australia or Japan, rising sharply for premium cabins and private jets. The charge is set by HM Treasury, not by Heathrow itself, and applies the same way whichever UK airport you fly from. Checked against HMRC and gov.uk, November 2026.
What is Air Passenger Duty, and why is it on my Heathrow fare?
APD is charged to the airline for every passenger carried out of a UK airport, and airlines build it into the ticket price rather than listing it as a separate add-on at checkout, which is why it's easy to miss until you compare two routes and wonder why one costs so much more. It's been in place since 1994 and is one of the UK's main aviation-specific taxes. Heathrow doesn't set the rate and doesn't keep the money: it goes straight to HMRC, the UK tax authority, as general government revenue, in the same way whether you fly from Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester or anywhere else in the UK.
2026 to 2027 Air Passenger Duty rates
Rates are set more than a year in advance and apply to flights from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027, which covers all of today's current tax year:
| Band | Example destinations | Reduced rate (economy) | Standard rate (premium economy, business, first) | Higher rate (large private jets) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | £8 | £16 | £142 |
| Band A (0-2,000 miles) | EU, EEA, Turkey, Morocco, Switzerland | £15 | £32 | £142 |
| Band B (2,001-5,500 miles) | USA, Canada, UAE, Caribbean, India | £102 | £244 | £1,097 |
| Band C (over 5,500 miles) | Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Thailand, most of South America | £106 | £253 | £1,141 |
The "standard rate" applies to any cabin other than the lowest class of travel, including premium economy if the seat pitch exceeds 1.016 metres (40 inches), not just traditional business or first class. The "higher rate" is specifically for larger private aircraft (20 tonnes or more) with fewer than 19 seats, not scheduled commercial flights.
Why does the same route sometimes cost different amounts?
A few things explain fare swings that look like they might be APD-related, and a few that genuinely are:
- Destination band, not distance alone. APD bands are based on the distance from London to the destination country's capital city, not the airport you're actually flying to. A flight to a country just inside Band A can carry a much lower charge than one just over the line into Band B, even if the flight times are similar.
- Cabin class. Flying premium economy, business or first class on the same flight attracts the standard rate rather than the reduced rate, which can mean paying two to three times more APD for an upgraded seat on an otherwise identical flight.
- The tax year it falls in. Rates rise on 1 April each year, so a ticket for a flight on 2 April can carry a higher APD charge than an otherwise identical flight on 31 March, even if you book both on the same day.
- Connecting passengers are often exempt. If you're transiting through Heathrow on a single ticket with a connected onward flight, APD is usually charged only once, based on your final destination, not at every UK airport you pass through. This is one reason some connecting itineraries through Heathrow can work out cheaper than a direct ticket to an intermediate stop.
How much has APD actually gone up?
For 2026-27, Band C economy rose from £94 to £106 and Band B economy from £90 to £102 compared with the prior year, alongside smaller rises for Band A and domestic flights. The larger private-jet "higher rate" rose far more steeply, up roughly 50% on top of the standard inflation-linked increase, a deliberate policy choice to raise the relative tax burden on private aviation rather than scheduled passenger flights.
Can I avoid or reduce Air Passenger Duty on a Heathrow flight?
Not really, as an individual passenger. It's built into the ticket price by the airline and applies to essentially all departures from UK airports. Children under 16 travelling in the lowest class of travel are exempt from the reduced and standard rates, so a child's ticket in economy typically carries no APD at all, which airlines usually reflect in family fare pricing rather than as a separate refund you need to claim.