Aviation is under-taxed relative to other forms of public transport. APD should be replaced with fuel duty to allow level competition.
Fact is, much of the recent growth of air travel is due to leisure pax having multiple foreign jollies on locos, funded on never-never credit cards. Given the collapse in credit, and the subsequent drop in pax numbers at some airports, it shows that the whole system is built on myth and fresh air and is unsustainable long-term.
I feel sorry for those that lose their jobs in this industry, but it's only one industry that's suffering along with all the others e.g. coal, car manufacturing, retail, banking (by which I mean the counter staff at Northern Rock or B&B, not the city types).
Tough but true.