The airport tax at London Heathrow comes in two parts: Air Passenger Duty, which HMRC collects on almost every departure, and a passenger service charge levied by the airport itself. For 2026, an economy passenger flying short-haul pays £15 in duty plus roughly £21 in service charge; a long-haul economy passenger pays £102 or £106 in duty plus up to about £49 in service charge. Business and first class roughly double the duty. You never pay anything at the airport counter, because airlines bundle both amounts into your ticket price.
What You Pay in Air Passenger Duty
Air Passenger Duty (APD) is a per-passenger tax collected by HMRC on virtually every flight leaving a UK airport.1Office for Budget Responsibility. Air Passenger Duty Two things determine the amount: how far you’re flying, and what class you’re sitting in.
Distance is measured from London to the capital of your destination country, and four bands apply from 1 April 2026:2GOV.UK. Rates for Air Passenger Duty
- Domestic: flights within the UK.
- Band A: up to 2,000 miles, covering most of Europe and North Africa.
- Band B: 2,001 to 5,500 miles, including the US east coast, the Middle East, and parts of West Africa.
- Band C: over 5,500 miles, such as Southeast Asia, Australia, and much of South America.
Within each band, three tiers apply. The reduced rate covers the lowest class on the aircraft, usually economy. The standard rate applies to premium economy, business, and first. The higher rate hits private aviation on larger jets configured for fewer than 19 passengers. The 2026 rates are:2GOV.UK. Rates for Air Passenger Duty
- Domestic: £8 reduced, £16 standard, £142 higher.
- Band A: £15 reduced, £32 standard, £142 higher.
- Band B: £102 reduced, £244 standard, £1,097 higher.
- Band C: £106 reduced, £253 standard, £1,141 higher.
The gap between short-haul and long-haul is sharp. Heathrow to Paris in economy carries £15 of duty. Heathrow to Sydney in economy carries £106. Upgrade that Sydney flight to business and the duty rises to £253.
Heathrow’s Passenger Service Charge
Separate from the government tax, Heathrow Airport Limited charges airlines a per-passenger fee to fund terminal operations, security, and runway upkeep. The Civil Aviation Authority regulates the ceiling, which for 2026 is £26.221 per passenger.3Heathrow Airport Limited. Decision – 2026 Airport Charges and Conditions of Use
What you actually pay depends on your route and whether Heathrow is your starting point or a connection. Origin-and-destination passengers flying within Europe pay £21.36. Long-haul origin-and-destination passengers pay £49.10. Transfer and transit passengers pay less, from roughly £6.93 for domestic connections to £29.46 for rest-of-world connections.3Heathrow Airport Limited. Decision – 2026 Airport Charges and Conditions of Use
Who Doesn’t Pay Air Passenger Duty
Several categories of traveler pay no APD. The exemptions most relevant to ordinary passengers are:4GOV.UK. Exemptions from Air Passenger Duty
- Infants under 2 without their own seat, in any cabin class. If you buy a separate seat for the infant, the exemption only holds in the lowest class of travel.
- Children under 16 traveling in the lowest class available on the aircraft. A child under 16 in business or first pays the full standard rate.
- Transit passengers who stay on the aircraft when it stops at Heathrow mid-route.
- Connecting passengers arriving on one flight and departing on a connected flight, where the second leg is exempt. The rules for what counts as connected differ between domestic and international onward journeys.
Flight crew, cabin attendants, CAA inspectors, passengers carried under statutory obligation such as deportees, and military personnel on NATO duty are also exempt. Emergency, humanitarian, and search-and-rescue flights sit outside the tax entirely. Flights from Scottish Highlands and Islands airports are exempt, but that doesn’t help anyone leaving Heathrow.4GOV.UK. Exemptions from Air Passenger Duty
One important boundary: none of these exemptions cover Heathrow’s passenger service charge. A connecting passenger still pays the transfer-rate airport fee even when APD doesn’t apply.
Getting the Tax Back if You Don’t Fly
Book a flight, don’t take it, and you’re entitled to a refund of the Air Passenger Duty portion. HMRC’s guidance is to contact your airline and request the APD refund directly.5GOV.UK. Tax on Shopping and Services – Air Passenger Duty The duty is only owed on passengers who actually depart, which is why it’s recoverable whether you cancelled, missed the flight, or had a schedule change.
The airline can charge an administration fee for handling the claim. On a short-haul economy ticket with £15 of duty, the fee may consume most of the refund. On a long-haul business class ticket where the duty runs to £244 or £253, the claim is worth the effort. The refund covers the duty only, not the passenger service charge or the base fare.
Finding the Charges on Your Ticket
Both amounts are collected upfront by the airline and remitted after the fact, so nothing changes hands at the airport itself.1Office for Budget Responsibility. Air Passenger Duty On a booking confirmation or e-ticket, look for the tax code “GB” for Air Passenger Duty and “UB” for the Heathrow passenger service charge. Some airlines merge everything into a single “taxes and fees” total, but most online booking flows let you expand the breakdown before payment.
The passenger service charge is the only Heathrow airport charge that shows up on passenger receipts. The airport’s other levies on airlines, including movement charges based on aircraft noise and weight, parking fees, and per-landing emissions charges, are billed to carriers and folded into the fare rather than itemized.3Heathrow Airport Limited. Decision – 2026 Airport Charges and Conditions of Use If one airline’s “taxes and fees” line looks unusually low next to a competitor’s, check whether the base fare has been raised to absorb charges the other carrier itemizes.