Sammy Wilson: Air passenger duty must be scrapped to save NI-GB connectivity

DUP MP Sammy Wilson raised the prospect of the air travel tax being removed on Wednesday, as he urged the UK government to do more to ensure “air connectivity” between Northern Ireland and Great Britain continues.

Mr Wilson, speaking via videolink in Parliament on Wednesday, said: “Given the integration between the Northern Ireland economy and the GB economy, air connectivity is vital to any recovery plan out of this health crisis, yet it has practically stopped at present.”

Addressing NIO minister Robin Walker, Mr Wilson continued: “Will the minister commit first to continue support for our airports, including Belfast International, secondly to work towards the abolition of air passenger duty, which adds substantially to costs, and thirdly to give every encouragement to present airlines and prospective carriers to open routes quickly again?”

The Minister of State replied: “It is vital that we continue to prioritise connectivity. As he knows, we stepped in where necessary to protect connectivity that might otherwise have been lost. Ministers agree that at this stage Belfast International is financially stable, but we will certainly keep that under review and continue to work closely with the Executive on all those issues.”

Following the exchange, Mr Wilson said: “The government must also once and for all scrap Air Passenger Duty. It was always a tax which hampered regional connectivity and now in these circumstances the case for its removal could not be stronger.

“With very few flights taking place, we also need to see the government step in to ensure airlines which connect places like Northern Ireland to London and the rest of the United Kingdom are able to survive this crisis.”

Meanwhile, the NIO minister Robin Walker also discussed the importance of sea travel between Northern Ireland and Great Britain, following a series of questions from MPs in constituencies on the Irish Sea coast.

Conservative MP for Wrexham, Sarah Atherton, described the Belfast to Liverpool ferry as “vital to business” in her constituency as she urged “free-flowing trade” across the Irish Sea.

Mr Walker said: “The government have, together with the Northern Ireland Executive, made available a financial package of up to £17 million to keep critical freight routes open between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. This reflects the huge importance of these connections and ensures essential goods, such as food and medicines, will continue to flow.”