'Abolish air taxes', says airport boss

10/06/2009

The head of Newcastle Airport is calling for the government to abolish taxes that are putting Brits off flying.

Speaking at the North East Chamber of Commerce annual meeting, chief executive David Laws said that passenger taxes are a threat to the future of the aviation industry and could cause redundancies and plummeting passenger numbers.

Mr Laws called for the government to scrap the rising charges to promote activity at the UK's airports, following the lead of the Netherlands.

The Dutch government recently abolished the taxes after realising their potential economic effect.

Many long-haul passengers will have to pay £20 on top of their ticket price as charges rise on all routes.

In other news, Eastern Airways will launch a new early morning route from Southampton to Newcastle Airport next month.

The service is aimed at business commuters, with the 07:00 BST departure set to allow them to travel to work on time.