Missed or cancelled a flight? Claim Air Passenger Duty refund

Clare Casalis | Edited by Gary Caffell

Updated 19 September 2024

When you book a flight departing the UK, your ticket price will include various fees, such as airport tax. However, this isn't collected by HM Revenue & Customs from the airline until after you actually fly. If you don't fly – even by choice – you shouldn't have to pay the tax. This guide explains how to claim a refund for Air Passenger Duty (APD) if you cancel a non-refundable ticket or miss a flight departing from the UK.

Other key flight-rights guides

Flight delay rights

Check if your flight's eligible and claim what you're owed.

Flight cancellation rights

Your rights and compensation rules.

Stuck at the airport?

How to claim for food or hotel costs if you're delayed.

Claiming back APD can help minimise losses on non-refundable flights, as this success story below shows:

My in-laws were visiting from Australia. They had a return flight booked, but after arriving in the UK, realised they needed to change their flight home. They had 'non-refundable' tickets, so assumed they'd lose the money. However, a quick email to Singapore Airlines revealed they were entitled to a refund of the APD – equivalent to £92 each – plus the passenger service charges. That meant a total refund of around £169 each. A small consolation, but better than nothing.

- MSE Clare

What is Air Passenger Duty (APD)?

Air Passenger Duty (APD) is a tax charged to every passenger flying out of a UK airport. It's included in the price of your ticket and is paid to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) by the airline after you fly.

Other countries have similar taxes included in the flight price. Often known as 'departure tax', you typically pay two taxes for a return flight — one for your outbound flight and one for your inbound flight.

APD refund need-to-knows

Here are the key points to consider when reclaiming unused APD:

APD is only paid by the airline if you fly – if you don't fly, you can request a refund. The amount you get back depends on where you were flying to, ranging from £7 to £202 per person. This is about non-refundable tickets, whether you cancel or miss your flight (a 'no-show'). If you have travel insurance, depending on the reason for cancelling, you may also be covered. With refundable tickets, you should automatically get back the airport fees, taxes, and airfare if you cancel.
Airlines aren't legally obliged to refund APD, but most say in their T&Cs that they will. The Civil Aviation Authority said: "There is no legal authority obliging airlines to refund taxes, fees and charges when passengers cancel their tickets. Many airlines do offer a refund, although some charge an administration fee for processing the refund and this can sometimes exceed the amount being claimed. Fully flexible tickets are fully refundable."
There's no official deadline to request the refund of APD, so you can go back years, but some airlines impose their own deadlines. So if you have ever cancelled or missed a flight, you may be due £100s back in airport tax, even from years ago. Check your airline's policy below.
Some airlines charge fees for processing refunds, which could cancel out your refund for shorter flights. See below for a full list of airline-by-airline charges for processing APD refunds.
Some airlines may refund other fees too, such as passenger service charges (fees for using airport facilities). It's worth asking if you can get back any other fees, on top of the APD – it depends on who you were flying with and which airports you were flying in and out of.
If you can claim for a flight before 2015, you may be able to get a refund for kids too. From 1 May 2015, Air Passenger Duty was abolished for children under 12 (see the MSE News story), and for those under 16 from 1 March 2016. If you travelled with your children before that period, you may be eligible for a refund of the APD, so it's worth checking.

How much could I get refunded?

Caucasian hands holding fanned £20 notes

The amount you will get refunded all depends on where you were going and what type of seat you had (though for most, it'll be the lowest rate payable).

The rates change every year, but from 1 April 2023, there are four bands: a 'domestic' band for destinations in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland only, and international bands A, B and C for all other destinations.

Air Passenger Duty rates and bands

Distance from London to destination's capital city	Reduced rate (applies to economy seats with most airlines)	Standard rate (usually applies to business and first class seats)
Domestic (for example, London to Manchester)	£7	£14
Band A: 0 to 2,000 miles (1) (for example, UK to Spain)	£13	£26
Band B: 2,001 to 5,500 miles (2) (for example, UK to Egypt)	£88	£194
Band C: Over 5,500 miles (3) (for example, UK to Australia)	£92	£202

Correct as at September 2024. There are higher charges for some private passenger planes or charters. (1) Band A is all destinations in the EU and European Economic Area plus 31 other countries. (2) Band B includes countries in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. Check the full list here. (3) Band C is any other country not included in band A or band B.

Note: There's no APD on long-haul flights from Northern Ireland or flights from the Scottish Highlands and Islands region. See HMRC's full breakdown of rates.

Thanks so much for alerting us about claiming APD on cancelled flights. We claimed through our travel agent, as we had booked a package holiday, but had to cancel at short notice due to sickness. We got our money back through our travel insurance but it didn’t cover APD. Then we saw the MSE weekly newsletter on 17 Sept 2024 and decided to follow up. Success! We were refunded £594 in fees and taxes by the travel agent. Thank you Martin Lewis and team.

- Mrs P, via email

Some airlines will refund other fees and charges too

Airlines have to pay various fees, which they pass on to passengers, by including these in your ticket price. Like APD, some airlines may refund some of these charges if you miss or cancel your flight. The most likely fee to be refunded alongside APD is the passenger service charge (PSC) – a charge imposed by airlines to cover costs they pay to airports for passengers to use the airport's facilities. For instance:

British Airways and Singapore Airlines: Refund both APD and passenger service charges.
Easyjet and Ryanair: Only refund APD.

How do I claim an APD refund? Full airline-by-airline help

Each airline has its own process. Generally, you will need to fill out an online form, send an email, or call customer services. If you booked through a third party travel agent, you'll need to contact them for a refund, not the airline. In some cases, the airline will automatically refund you APD if you cancel online before departure.

Here is a summary of APD refund policies from major airlines:

Airline APD refund policies

British Airways	Awaiting confirmation, but its website says: Admin fee: £15 (online); £30 (by phone) Deadline to claim: No time limit	You can cancel and get an automatic refund using Manage My Booking. If you miss your flight, you'll need to contact British Airways customer service on 0344 493 0787 to request a refund.
Easyjet	Admin fee: None Deadline to claim: No time limit	To claim, contact Easyjet's customer services team.
Emirates	Admin fee: None Deadline to claim: No time limit	To claim, fill out its online refund request form. Your refund will be processed within 15 working days and credited back to the credit/debit card that you used to buy the ticket.
Etihad	Awaiting confirmation, but its website says: Admin fee: $30 (about £23) Deadline to claim: No time limit	To claim, fill out its online refund request form or contact its customer services or online chat. Etihad may charge a 'no-show' fee if you cancel within four hours of departure or you miss your flight.
Jet2	Admin fee: None Deadline to claim: No time limit	To claim, you need to request it in writing using the online form or write to: Jet2.com & Jet2holidays Holiday House Ingram Street Leeds LS11 9AW
Ryanair	Admin fee: £20 Deadline to claim: One month after departure date	Since the admin fee will always exceed the cost of the APD (you won't be due more than £13), you won't get any refund, so there's no point claiming. Lower-price tickets might not include APD anyway.
Singapore Airlines	Admin fee: Varies Deadline to claim: No time limit	You must request the refund before your flight's departure date. If you don't, a no-show fee and a cancellation fee will apply. If you miss your flight, contact Singapore customer service for a refund.
Tui Airways	Admin fee: None Deadline to claim: No time limit	Tui will refund the APD that was included in your holiday cost once the date you were due to return from holiday on has passed. To claim, contact Tui's customer service team or complete an online form.
Qantas	Awaiting confirmation, but its website says: Admin fee: £30 Deadline to claim: Within 12 months of the ticket issue date	You can cancel and claim a refund of APD via its Manage Booking option, and selecting the 'Cancel/Voucher' button. If you have missed your flight, you'll need to use the online claim form.
Qatar Airways	Admin fee: None Deadline to claim: No time limit	To claim, fill out the online claim form.
Virgin Atlantic	Admin fee: £30 Deadline to claim: No time limit	To claim, fill out the online claim form.
Wizz Air	You can't claim APD refunds	Wizz Air does not charge any APD tax to passengers, so no refunds are due if you voluntarily cancel your booking or if you miss your flight.

Correct as at September 2024.

Booked a package holiday? You should still be able to claim an APD rebate

If you booked a package holiday, the flight element will likely still have APD included in it. Therefore if you miss the flight or cancel your package holiday, you should still be able to request a refund of APD, at the very least. Though depending on where you were travelling to and what admin fees your tour operator charges for cancellations, you may not get anything back.

What if my airline won't refund me?

According to the Civil Aviation Authority, airlines aren't legally obliged to refund taxes, fees and charges if you cancel your ticket. However, many airlines do.

If you're not getting anywhere with the airline you booked with – and its T&Cs say it will refund you – the Civil Aviation Authority can provide info and help resolve passenger disputes and travel issues. Alternatively, contact travel association ABTA for assistance.

What about flights departing from outside the UK?

Planet Earth viewed from a distance, on a white background

Other countries have similar taxes included in the flight price that you may be able to claim back if you don't fly. For example, Germany has a similar departure tax system to the UK, where the tax you're charged is based on the distance travelled, and will be included in your flight ticket price. It's added to all tickets (except children under two years old, who don't have their own seat).

In France and Spain, the Government tax you're charged varies by airport, with the levy ranging between around €8 and €37 per passenger (over two years old). Whereas in Australia, the passenger movement charge (PMC) is a flat A$70 per passenger (over 11 years old), irrelevant of the distance travelled.

For some countries, the Government airport tax could be as little as £1 – as is the case for flights departing Croatia. In which case, it's unlikely to be worth bothering to claim it back.

Easyjet has a handy table that shows the Government taxes included in its ticket prices for the destinations it flies to.

So if you miss or cancel any flight, it's always worth checking with the airline (or travel agent) whether you paid any Government taxes that could be reclaimed.

Airport taxes for top holiday destinations travelling back to the UK

Destination	Government tax charged per person, per flight
Australia	A$70 (about £35)
France	Varies by airport – between €15.18 (about £13) and €29.15 (about £24)
Germany	€15.53 (about £13)
Greece	€12.00 (about £10)
India	Varies by airport – between 435 and 1,550 rupees (between about £4 and £14)
Ireland	None
Italy	€6.50 (€7.50 from Rome) (about £5 or £6)
Portugal	€2.00 (about £1.50)
Spain	Varies by airport – between €8.43 (about £7) and €17.83 (about £15)
USA	$22.10 (about £17)

Correct as at September 2024.

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