Scotland missing out on millions in private jet taxes, charity says
Private flights at the Scottish government-owned Glasgow Prestwick Airport increased by more than a third last year, according to figures from Oxfam Scotland.The charity says there were more than 12,000 private flights in and out of Scottish airports in 2024, with the busiest being Edinburgh, Glasgow Prestwick and Inverness.Oxfam says that if an Air Departure Tax had been in place, and applied at the highest possible rate, that would have generated an extra £29m in tax revenue.The Scottish government says it's reviewing rates and bands and is open to introducing a higher tax on private jets.
The rise reflects a global trend in private jets being used increasingly by the super-rich, with climate scientists warning that they can be up to 30 times more damaging for the planet than scheduled flights.
Oxfam Scotland used data on departures and landings from the Civil Aviation Authority to calculate the number of "private" and "business" movements which are defined as non-commercial flights.They counted aircraft over 2.73 tonnes and excluded those from aero-clubs.In 2024, there were 12,143 such flights across 16 airports ranging from Glasgow and Edinburgh to Islay and Barra.That's 768 fewer flights than the previous year, but slightly more than the 10-year average.At Prestwick the number increased from 1,845 in 2023 to 2,437 in 2024, with July seeing the largest number of private arrivals and departures - 453 that month.That coincided with the prestigious Open Championship at Royal Troon Golf Club, which took place from 14 to 21 July.
Oxfam Scotland says that if Air Departure Tax was in place instead of Air Passenger Duty, it could have raised £28.8m in revenue for the Scottish government.That number was calculated by multiplying the maximum applicable rate to the number of departures.The powers to introduce an Air Departure Tax were devolved to the Scottish government in 2016.But despite passing legislation, ministers have so far opted not to replace the existing duty.They have raised concerns around exemptions for airports in the Highlands and islands.Jamie Livingstone, head of Oxfam Scotland, says the Scottish government should be embarrassed that the airport it owns - Glasgow Prestwick - is being used as "a playground for the world's wealthiest polluters".He said it had been "all talk, no take-off" from First Minister John Swinney on the issue and called on him to intriduce the "fair tax on those polluting Scotland's skies".Scientists have calculated that emissions from private jets worldwide rose by 46% between 2019 and 2023.They said that flying a private jet for one hour could release more planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions than the average person produces in an entire year.But some users of private jets say they do it because they feel safer than when using scheduled flights.A Scottish government spokesperson said: "As has previously been set out, ministers are open to the suggestion of higher rates of Air Departure Tax on private jet flights. "This will form part of the review of rates and bands undertaken prior to implementation."
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