Regarding the current discussion ongoing re APD and Bristol/Cardiff airports, I recently noticed the comment reproduced below in the Bristol Post online version. Maybe the well-informed individuals frequenting this forum might wish to comment.
“The point about this issue goes well beyond any effect on BristolAirport. If APD is devolved to Wales it will mean that travellers there will fly tax-free whilst travellers from all English airports will continue to pay £13 per short haul flight and £71 (rising to £73 in April) for each long haul flight. Business class is double these figures.
The Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) receives a massive multi-billion-pound block grant from Westminster in order to function. This money is provided by all UK taxpayers including us in Bristol, so we would be subsidising tax-free travel in Wales whilst still paying this tax in England. Furthermore, the WAG owns CardiffAirport so would be in the privileged position of being able to set its own APD rates which it has already said it would reduce to nil. If that isn't anti-competitive, I don't know what is.
England remains under the control of the UK government, with MPs representing constituencies in all four home countries having a say on English APD rates, but English MPs having no say on Welsh (or Scottish or Northern Irish) rates. So far as CardiffAirport is concerned it would reward failure. The airport was in danger of closure (according to Wales’ First Minister and the current CardiffAirport company chairman) until the WAG bought it at what many experts say was a vastly inflated price (£52 million). Since then the WAG has put in another £13 million to effectively pay airlines to fly from Cardiff.
BristolAirport is highly successful, and since the city council sold it into private hands many years ago has never needed the public purse to help it along. If some tax payers in England are happy to subsidise air travellers in Wales that's up to them. I'm certainly not."
[points regarding car parking/drop-off charges not relevant to the APD debate followed]
"Incidentally, the WAG and the CardiffAirport management would be dancing all the way around their Bay if their airport had even half the route network that BristolAirport enjoys. Why should a successful airport be penalised in favour of a struggling one? It's like having two neighbouring shops with the government allowing one to sell its goods without VAT.”
(Comment by ‘FromMendip’, Bristol Post 13.02.2016)
I guess it’s possible ‘FromMendip’ might be one of those posting here …
SN