Air Charter Operator: PC-12 Avoids Higher UK Tax Rates

Private flight membership group Hans Jet is touting the fact that its Pilatus PC-12 turboprop singles will avoid the UK’s new higher rates of air passenger duty (APD) that take effect from April 2027. With an mtow of 4.7 tonnes, the aircraft fall beneath the 5.7-tonne (12,570-pound) threshold at which steep increases in tax will begin.

From April this year, the UK government is increasing APD by 50% for aircraft weighing 20 tonnes or higher with fewer than 19 passenger seats. The changes have been opposed by the British Business & General Aviation Association and The Air Charter Association.

Under the increases in April 2026, the top rate of APD per passenger will range from around £142 ($194) for a domestic charter flight in the UK to £1,141 for a long-haul trip greater than 5,500 miles. The key change for next year is to lower the weight threshold to 5.7 tonnes, which would impact some light jet models such as the Embraer Phenom 300, but not the smaller Phenom 100.

Malta-based Hans Jet operates a fleet of PC-12s that offers both fractional ownership terms and fixed flight-hour rates for members starting at €4,950 ($5,880). “Our members will continue flying at fixed hourly rates, completely insulated from the regulatory cost pressures affecting heavier aircraft,” said the company’s managing director, Eric Weisskopf.

Several other European operators offer PC-12s for charter services. In the UK itself, these include Oriens Aviation, SkyCare, and ASG Aviation, with other options being Jetfly (Luxembourg), Fly7 Executive Aviation (Switzerland), and Silver Flight (the Netherlands).

The Dutch government recently confirmed a new passenger tax to be introduced from Jan. 1, 2027, for charter flights in all aircraft with 19 passenger seats or fewer, regardless of weight. This is similar to the so-called “solidarity tax” in France, which is already impacting charter operators.