Statement on Scottish Government decision to defer introduction of Air Departure Tax

April 23rd, 2019

Responding to the announcement made by the Scottish Government that it will again defer the introduction of the planned Air Departure Tax beyond April 2020, Tim Alderslade, Chief Executive of Airlines UK, the industry association that represents 13 UK-registered carriers, Derek Provan, CEO of AGS Airports Ltd, owner of Glasgow and Aberdeen airports, and Gordon Dewar, CEO of Edinburgh Airport, said in a joint statement:

“The Scottish Government needs to be straight with industry This was a cast-iron manifesto commitment and they have now failed to implement it two years in a row, and in the meantime it is Scottish tourism and connectivity that is suffering, as we’ve seen with Norwegian pulling out of Edinburgh and lost routes at both Glasgow and Aberdeen. The message from airlines and airports is clear – either do what you have promised and get on with it sooner rather than later or be upfront with us that it is never going to happen.”