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1% of English residents take one-fifth of overseas flights, survey shows

(The Guardian, 25 Sep 2019) FoI request to DfT reveals 10% most frequent flyers took more than half of flights abroad in 2018.

Just 1% of English residents are responsible for nearly a fifth of all flights abroad, according to previously unpublished statistics.

The figures, published in a Department for Transport survey, also reveal that the 10% most frequent flyers in England took more than half of all international flights in 2018. However, 48% of the population did not take a single flight abroad in the last year.

The new findings bolster calls for a frequent flyer levy, a proposal under which each citizen would be allowed one tax-free flight per year but would pay progressively higher taxes on each additional flight taken.

The revelations follow a new report from the Committee on Climate Change (CCC), the government’s official adviser, which urged ministers to put tougher regulations on the international aviation and shipping sectors to keep the economy on track for net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Environmental activists said the new figures showed the UK could cut air traffic and emissions without affecting ordinary holidaymakers.

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The Guardian, 25 Sep 2019: 1% of English residents take one-fifth of overseas flights, survey shows

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