This archive report was first published on 20 June 2020.
On June 20, 2020, The Citizen reported that travelers through the Abeid Amani Karume International Airport (AAKIA) and Pemba Airport in Tanzania would face increased costs due to a new 'security charge'.
The Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) had approved the introduction of the new charges, which would be incorporated into the air ticket fare. International passengers would pay $5 (approximately Tsh11,500), while domestic passengers would pay $2 (approximately Tsh5,000).
According to a document containing the proposed new fees, the introduction of security fees would provide a sustainable revenue stream for the Zanzibar Airports Authority (ZAA) to finance development and maintenance of world-class security operations.
The fees were intended to prevent acts of unlawful interference, such as aircraft hijacking, sabotage, and hostage-taking, and to build confidence among airport users regarding high security levels.
However, the International Air Transport Association (Iata) emphasized that governments should ensure the security charge covers only the cost of providing airport security services and not general or national security services.
It is worth noting that in September 2019, TCAA had turned down a request by ZAA to charge a new security fee on airline tickets, which would have increased the cost of air travel.
