Willie Walsh, the chief executive of British Airways' parent company IAG, has called for APD to be scrapped as the tax this weekend turns 20 years old.
Air passenger duty was introduced on November 1, 1994 and has since increased seven-fold, "while inflation has not even doubled over the same period".
APD is the highest aviation tax imposed anywhere in the world - according to IAG, air passengers in the UK have paid more than £26 billion in APD in the last 20 years.
Walsh said: "Twenty years on, APD has snowballed out of control and become a tax that works against people wanting to visit relatives and friends, go on holiday or grow their business to create jobs.
"APD is way out of line with both other indirect taxes in the UK and flight taxes in other countries. Globalisation has accelerated enormously in the last 20 years.
"This tax helps no-one in today's economic environment. We must call time on APD."
Graham Smith