Extra charge for air travellers
Wednesday, 27 April 2011 22:52

By Fidelis Munyoro
From The Herald


THE Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe has introduced an extra user charge that will see passengers departing from its airports paying US$10 and US$30 per head for domestic and international travel respectively as the authority seeks to raise US$400 million to upgrade infrastructure.
The new charges are with effect from May 1 this year.
Passengers also pay US$35 and US$10 per head as a service fee for international and domestic routes respectively.
These current passenger service fees are normal operating charges for services rendered to travellers from the time they enter the airport until they get into the aircraft.
In an interview yesterday, CAAZ chief executive officer, Mr David Chawota, said with effect from Sunday all departing passengers would be required to pay the Aviation Infrastructure Development Fund (AIDEF).
The fund, he said, would be used for rehabilitation and modernisation of aviation infrastructure to enhance safety and security.
The fees will be included on the air tickets except in special circumstances where cash payment may be required.
CAAZ has taken the new initiative to raise US$400 million in 10 years time to rehabilitate airports and fund airspace management, among others.
Once the aviation infrastructure is uplifted in this project, CAAZ will be able to play its critical role in the provision of services for the country's fast growing tourism sector.
Mr Chawota said the authority had to play its critical facilitation role by availing necessary accessibility into the country as the best tourism market.
"For us to do that, we have had to adopt the user pay principle for such developments," said Mr Chawota.
This initiative, he said, was not new in the aviation industry where the traveller would have to fork out a given amount of money towards a pre-developmental programme as approved by various stakeholders such as Government, International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and IATA.
"We are saying this method of raising funds for the infrastructural development has been repaying in many countries in the world and has been found to be successful," Mr Chawota said.
He said the money would not be part of the CAAZ recurrent expenditure but channelled towards identified projects.
The upgrading and refurbishment of infrastructure at the Harare International Airport started in 2002 but stalled in 2007 because of the harsh economic conditions.
Airports in need of upgrading are Harare International Airport, Victoria Falls International Airport, Joshua Nkomo International Airport, Kariba, Hwange and Buffalo Range.

So $65 total to fly out of Harare? Is there also a departure tax?

HARARE, MAY 8, 2011 - The Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) on
Saturday suspended the new airport departure tax, which will see domestic
travelers paying US$10 and international travelers coughing up an extra
US$30.

CAAZ said the tax, which was introduced under the Aviation Infrastructure
Development Fund (AIDEF) and was supposed to come into effect on May had
been suspended because of “logistical” challenges.
“Passengers who have been charged the levy in May 2011 should approach the
relevant airline, travel agent or airport authority for a refund,” said
David Chawota CAAZ chief executive officer.
“Airlines and travel agents who have collected AIDEF levies should not remit
the funds to CAAZ but refund the passengers.”

The authority said AIDEF would be used to upgrade the country’s airports
since it was not receiving enough money from government. But tourism players
criticised the move saying it would affect the sector which is still trying
to recover from the decade long political and economic crisis in the
country.
A few airlines still fly into Zimbabwe after many pulled out at the onset of
the political crisis.Passengers on transit, diplomats and children under the
age of two would be exempted from the tax when it is finally introduced.