A majority of surveyed MPs believe that UK families may not be able to afford to fly abroad in 2012 if aviation taxes rise any higher, according to a study published by a lobby group for the travel industry.
Three-quarters of the 150 MPs who responded to the survey by the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) said that aviation taxation is in danger of pricing some people out of flying.
In 2010 a similar survey found that only 39 per cent of MPs said the same. A spokesperson for ComRes, which carried out the poll, said that such a turnaround in opinion was "rare indeed". However it is not known if the same group of MPs was surveyed in 2010 and 2011.
Conservative MPs were the most worried by the tax increases (82 per cent), according to the most recent study. However, 71 per cent of Lib Dems and 69 per cent of Labour MPs agreed with the ABTA's concerns.
The ABTA also said that 20 MPs and peers from each of the major parties had written to the chancellor to urge him to reconsider planned rises in aviation taxes.
As one of the UK's largest advocates for travel, the ABTA has long lobbied against any rise in the cost of flying. The association is concerned that planned increases in Air Passenger Duty and the UK's entry into the Emissions Trading Scheme could make air travel unaffordable for average travellers.
They point to recent figures that appear to show drops in passenger numbers from the UK to Europe, from 45.9m journeys in 2009 to 42.6m in 2010.
Luke Pollard, who is ABTA's head of public affairs, said: "The travel industry knows that George Osborne wants to balance the books, but to maximise the tax take it must be set at a level where people can afford to fly."
Environmental campaigners, however, have argued that the Treasury has not moved quickly enough to reform aviation tax, and have argued for per-plane duties to create a more direct link between the cost of flying and carbon emissions.
Responding to the government's announcement that it would delay a decision on aviation emissions targets last month, Friends of the Earth director Andy Atkins said:
"The coalition's failure to endorse the previous government's pledge to curb future emissions from flying is astonishing - hardly the actions of the greenest government ever.
"Allowing aviation emissions to soar will make it much harder for the UK to play its part in tackling climate change, and could mean we'll need to make even bigger energy savings in our homes and businesses."