IATA against extra charges as traffic drops by 91.3%
World airlines have warned the Nigerian government and others across the globe not to levy extra fees and charges on passengers in the COVID-19 era. The airlines, under the aegis of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), said imposing extra cost due to health and safety programmes would raise the cost of flying and further discourage early recovery. The operators said this on the heels of another massive decline in passenger demand recorded for the month of May. Measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs), the traffic dropped by 91.3 per cent compared to May 2019. However, this was a mild uptick compared to the 94 per cent annual decline recorded in April 2020. The improvement was driven by a recovery in some domestic markets, most notably China.
Recall that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), recently raised the Passenger Service Charge by 100 per cent and to take effect on August 1. Local airlines have expressed concerns, saying the increase would spike fares as airlines resume operations today. IATA’s Director-General and CEO, Alexandre de Juniac, said governments needed to avoid adding blockers to the recovery, such as implementing entry quarantines and increasing fees. “They have the same impact as outright travel bans and will keep economies closed down to the benefits of aviation connectivity. Governments should avoid new fees and charges to cover the cost of COVID-19 related health measures, such as testing and contact tracing, which will make travel less accessible. “Travel and tourism accounts for 10.3 per cent of global GDP, and 300 million jobs. It is in everybody’s interest, including governments, to remove barriers to travel as soon as it is safe to do so. And in the process, it is critical that governments don’t stall the fragile recovery by introducing new regulatory or cost barriers to travel,” de Juniac said.
