Tanzania's Aviation authority rejects new airport levies
Dar es Salaam. The Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) has turned down a request by Zanzibar and Kilimanjaro airports to charge new security service fees on airline tickets which would have made the cost of air travel more expensive.
The two gateways wanted to pass the cost of securing their facilities to passengers who would have been slapped with between S10,000 and Sh23,000 for each ticket booked.
However, the move was dashed by TCAA, which said the Zanzibar Airports Authority (ZAA) and Kilimanjaro Airports Development Company (Kadco) did not show justification for the new fees they were seeking. The airports had suggested each domestic traveller pay an additional Sh10,000 and Sh23,000 for foreigners.
The acting managing director for Kadco, Mr Christopher Mukoma, said they will review their application and present a fresh bid to TCAA in October.
“We have reviewed them. We will present them to stakeholders for consideration on October 8, 2019,” he told The Citizen in a telephone interview yesterday. The new security fee, he said, was meant to help acquire equipment that would boost efforts in fostering security at the airport.
“Due to terrorism threats, we need sophisticated equipment and buying them requires extra money,” he said.
In rejecting the applications, TCAA said stakeholders turned down the proposals because the submissions had deficiencies in terms of justification for the requested rates. “The applicants were advised to review their proposals and notify the authority upon completion for the authority to reconvene the stakeholders’ consultation meeting slated for next month,” TCAA director general Hamza Johari said in a statement posted on the agency’s website.
He said already the cases had been resubmitted by the applicants for reconsideration and approval. The decision by TCAA to rebuff the plea to introduce security fee came after the authority had in the past five months conducted an inquiry regarding the Applications by the ZAA and Kadco.
Section 39(1) and (2) (b) of the Civil Aviation Act, Cap. 80 Revised Edition of 2006, empowers TCAA to conduct an inquiry as it deems necessary for carrying out its functions.
The TCAA rules for making inquiry require the authority to serve a statement of case to the public, indicating the purpose of inquiry and the time within which the submissions may be made to the authority.
It should also indicate the form in which the submissions will be made and the matters which the authority would like to deal with.
TCAA said stakeholders and the general public should give their views with regard to the fresh submission by ZAA and Kadco in line with the prevailing economic environment.
“Interested members of the general public, including the stakeholders in the aviation industry, the government and TCAA Consumer Consultative Council, are invited to give their submissions,” reads a statement in part.
“They should write to the authority not later than two weeks from the first date of the inquiry notice or during public hearing indicating, with reasons, their views on ZAA and Kadco’s intention of introducing the said fee.”
Passengers using the Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) have since October 2018 been charged a higher ticket rate after TCAA granted approval to a Sh5000 raise for local travellErs and Sh11,500 for foreigners for each ticket.
The then Tanzania Airports Authority (TAA) director general, Mr Richard Mayongela, said the fees was also meant to boost security at the country’s main airport.
