How will changes to air passenger duty impact people travelling from remote parts of UK?

Simon Calder answers your questions on the APD adjustments, Covid rules for Hungary and returning to Britain from west Africa

Flights from airports in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland are exempt from the higher APD rates (Getty)

Q When you were writing about the changes to air passenger duty announced in the Budget last week, you mentioned something about people being able to buy tickets from Inverness to destinations worldwide. How does that work, and is there anything to stop me simply buying a ticket from Inverness to Heathrow to Cape Town and pick up the plane at Heathrow?

Sarah C

A First, a refresher about what air passenger duty (APD) actually is: a tax that applies to passengers boarding a flight from a UK airport to anywhere. The amount depends on your final destination and class of travel. For trips of up to 2,000 miles, which covers all of Europe and parts of North Africa, the rate for economy passengers aged 16 and over is £13. Longer-haul flights are currently subject to APD of £82, due to increase to £84 in April 2022. And even if the first hop is a short-haul trip to Frankfurt or Istanbul, it’s the final destination that counts.