Air passenger tax on all flights to and from Northern Ireland should be abolished to help revive the North’s economy, an influential UK House of Commons Committee has recommended.

Air Passenger Duty (APD) was scrapped on direct long-haul flights from the North last November in a bid to maintain Northern Ireland’s only air link with North America.

But the House of Commons Northern Ireland Affairs Committee has found this move has not helped 98.5 per cent of passengers who travel from the North’s three airports – Belfast International, Belfast City and the City of Derry – on short-haul flights.

The rate of APD depends on the passenger’s final destination with the UK’s domestic flight rate currently set at £13 per passenger.

The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee says there are no “realistic alternatives” to air travel – especially for business travel in and out of the North.

It is urging the UK Government and the Northern Ireland Executive therefore to explore ways of reducing – or preferably scrapping – APD on these flights.

Laurence Robertson MP, chairman of the Northern Ireland Committee, said: “For the people of Northern Ireland air travel is not a luxury, it is fundamental to family and economic life.

“To help rebalance the Northern Ireland economy, it is vital that air links to Great Britain, mainland Europe and the rest of the world are robust.”