Holidaymakers have helped push Air Passenger Duty receipts to a record high, with HMRC collecting £2 billion in the first five months of the financial year.
The taxman collected £2 billion in Air Passenger Duty (APD) between April and August 2026, according to the latest HMRC figures.
That is £100 million more than during the same period last year.
And the biggest jump came during the summer holiday season, with APD receipts hitting record highs in both July and August.
HMRC said the figures were consistent with continued growth in the aviation industry, as millions of Britons took to the skies during the peak summer travel period.
The figures come as the cost of flying continues to include a tax charge which is generally built into the price of an airline ticket.
Air Passenger Duty is charged to airlines for carrying passengers on qualifying flights departing from UK airports, with the cost typically passed on to travellers through ticket prices.
How much is Air Passenger Duty?
The amount depends on the destination, cabin class and distance travelled.
From April 2026, the standard APD rate for domestic flights is £16, while the standard rate for destinations up to 2,000 miles is £32.
For flights between 2,001 and 5,500 miles, the standard rate is £244, rising to £253 for destinations more than 5,500 miles away.
There are also higher rates for certain passengers travelling in premium cabins.
Children can be exempt from APD in certain circumstances. Children under 12 have been exempt since 2015, while the exemption was extended to children under 16 travelling in the lowest class of travel from 2016.
The latest figures show just how much the tax take has grown over time.
For the whole of the 2025/26 financial year, provisional APD receipts reached £4.618 billion, up £493 million, or 12%, on the previous year.
The annual total has climbed substantially since the pandemic, when the aviation industry was hit by travel restrictions.
HMRC's latest figures show that APD receipts have now returned well above their pre-pandemic levels, reflecting the recovery and continued growth of passenger travel.
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For holidaymakers, the tax is just one part of the overall cost of flying, alongside fares, airport charges and optional extras such as baggage and seat selection.
The latest figures do not show how much APD was paid by individual passengers, as the tax is collected from operators of chargeable aircraft.
But with record receipts in both July and August, the figures underline the scale of the tax flowing through Britain's busy summer travel season.
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