EasyJet to increase Scottish flights if SNP reduces airport tax

EasyJet is planning to dramatically increase the number of flights it directs through Scotland if the SNP govt pushes ahead with its plans to reduce tax at the country’s airports, the company has announced. On the day that the Scottish govt launched a consultation on the proposed reduction in air passenger duty, the airline said it expected to increase its services by about 30% in Scotland if the changes went ahead, increasing passenger numbers from 5.5m to 7m a year. The SNP has committed to halving the rate of APD from April 2018 with a view to abolishing it altogether, claiming that the cut will provide a major boost to the Scottish economy. But the party’s political opponents said the policy would result in much higher climate change emissions and would only benefit the “wealthiest few”. <br/>