The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has voiced concern over the recent implementation of the new fees at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport Corporation (CJIA), at Timehri.
In a statement issued yesterday, the IATA, which represents some 290 airlines comprising 82% of global air traffic, called for immediate dialogue with the management of the airport and the Ministry of Public Infrastructure on the implementation process related to the introduction of the passenger service charge and the increase in the government-mandated airport security fee.
It added that the continued refusal by the airport operator to cooperate with IATA on both the proper calculation and implementation of such fees and charges has now led to a situation where airlines have been forced to manually collect the additional amounts from both arriving and departing passengers.
“It is completely unacceptable that passengers are being inconvenienced in such a manner. This is a direct result of the airport’s management refusal to engage with IATA on a process which is standard practice across the globe. As a consequence, our member airlines have unfortunately no choice other than to manually collect the additional fees and charges,” Peter Cerda, IATA’s Regional Vice President, the Americas, was quoted as saying.
Caribbean Airlines last week advised travellers that it was facilitating collection of the new fees at CJIA for departing passengers at the check-in counters and for arriving passengers in the arrival hall. In a press release, the airline said the CJIA had advised all airlines that the fees were to support the improvements at the airport.
It noted that with effect from April 1st, the cost to travellers for a return (round) trip is US$35 (GY$7,315), while for departing passengers it is US$17 and for one-way departing passengers it is US$15, payable in Guyana dollars at the prevailing foreign exchange rate.
The statement added that in order to minimise inconveniences to customers, the airline would collect the fees from April 15th but for tickets purchased after July 1st, the fees will be automatically added to the cost of the ticket at the time of purchase.
In its statement yesterday, IATA explained that it has worldwide standards in place enabling airlines to collect government-imposed fees, service charges and taxes as part of an airline ticket. These are then transferred to the respective governments. It noted that this has provided a smoother travel experience for passengers by eliminating the former practice whereby many governments manually collected some of these fees and taxes at airports.
IATA also called for clarity from the airport operator on how the fees and charges have been calculated, while charging that international standards set out by the International Civil Aviation Organiza-tion’s Document 9082 were not followed.
“We understand that airports need to recover their investment costs. This must however be achieved through a collaborative and transparent process, ensuring that imposed fees are proportionate to the planned expenditure. This can best be achieved in partnership between all sectors of the aviation industry, thereby unlocking the true potential of a country and its people. As such we urgently call on the management of Cheddi Jagan International Airport to engage into the requested dialogue, so passengers are no longer inconvenienced, and member airlines can return to their normal business. This will ensure the sustainability of the aviation sector in Guyana and facilitate the growth of tourism and trade, thereby contributing to a vibrant and healthy economy,” Cerda was further quoted as saying.
