Friends of the Earth has claimed the UK aviation industry receives support worth £9.2 billion a year through tax breaks from the government.

The campaign group called on ministers to make the industry pay its costs in full.

British regions are missing out because of the incentives and subsidies given to airlines, the environmental lobbying organisation said in a report released on Monday.

Friends of the Earth said assistance such as paying no tax on aviation fuel, exemptions from VAT on flight tickets and buying new planes, and profits from selling duty-free goods totalled £9.2 billion every year.

If collected, this money could be put towards investing in public transport and offsetting the environmental damage caused by aircraft, the report concluded.

FoE aviation campaigner Richard Dyer said the industry should "pay its own way".

"Taxpayers are losing millions of pounds to the aviation industry each year," he said. "This economic madness must be stopped.

"The government must put an end to these to these tax breaks and incentives and force his polluting and destructive industry to pay its own way.

"When council cuts are biting and key public services are being squeezed, these billions would be far better spent on improving public transport and other essential services throughout the country."