The British Conservative Party is to unveil radical proposals for a set of new environmental taxes intended to curb air travel - but their plans are already facing a backlash from airlines. The Conservatives hope the measures unveiled by shadow chancellor George Osborne will convince voters of the party's "green" credentials.
A fuel duty or VAT levy on domestic flights and scrapping air passenger duty in favour of a "per flight" tax based more closely on carbon emissions are all being considered.
But they run the risk of alienating voters who have become accustomed to enjoying the benefits of cheap flights and airlines are already lining up to criticise the plans.
Virgin Atlantic claimed "green" taxes on flights had already been proven not to work and that bringing in a "per flight" tax could harm the UK's economy.
British Airways agreed that taxation was ineffective as a means of reducing carbon emissions.
But budget airline easyJet cautiously welcomed the idea of a "per flight" tax, claiming it would weed out those airlines using "dirty" aircraft.