A SO-CALLED think tank rejoicing in the name of Policy North has predicted a catastrophic fall in customer numbers at Newcastle Airport of up to 900,000 a year as a consequence of Air Passenger Duty changes in Scotland (Echo, Aug 8).
They say that families could save up to £194 per person by flying from Edinburgh instead of Newcastle.
What utter nonsense. Let’s look at the truth.
APD for journeys up to 2,000 miles in economy class is £13.
That covers all EU destinations and airports as far away as Dalaman.
Over 2,000 miles and it hikes up to £78. The figure of £194 does not appear anywhere on the official tabulation published by the Government.
Who is going to drive up the A1, risk the speed cameras and single carriageway simply to “save” £52 for a family of four?
By the way - Edinburgh is further from most European destinations, the flight time longer and the ticket price higher as a result of the extra fuel burn.
D W Lacey, Durham
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