Airlines and passengers should not be expected to fund government border security programmes through higher ticket prices, according to African aviation bodies. Instead, governments should cover the cost of implementing Advance Passenger Information (API) and Passenger Name Record (PNR) systems themselves.
The African Airlines Association (AFRAA), the Airlines Association of Southern Africa (AASA), and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) urged African states to implement API and PNR systems in accordance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards.
Under ICAO policy, border security is a government responsibility and the cost of API and PNR programmes should be funded by them.
“The taxes, levies and charges on any air ticket are evidence of governments and their agencies looking to the air transport sector to be their tax and revenue collectors. This does not occur in any other sector and there is no reason why aviation should be targeted for this kind of treatment,” said Aaron Munesti, CEO of AASA.
He said their position is guided by ICAO Doc 9082, which stipulates that passengers and airlines should never be required to finance government security services and infrastructure beyond paying their normal taxes.
Munetsi warned that additional charges could impact the affordability of air travel.
“Our member airlines operate in a very price-sensitive market. Because air travel is discretionary for many travellers, every extra Rand added to the ticket price raises the affordability and travel deterrence threshold. For business travel, businesses must factor the additional travel costs into their fees for services and goods,” said Munetsi.
He said the costs were more likely to deter price-sensitive travel than premium travel. “However, everyone notices when they are being made the targets of a shakedown and there will always be reputational damage to those destinations that apply such measures,” said Munetsi.
Last year, Tanzania introduced a passenger levy to fund upgrades to the country’s aviation security infrastructure. The charge adds US$45 (R735) to one-way international tickets and US$90 (R1 470) to return tickets.
“Governments should fund API/PNR systems in the same way they fund infrastructure, law enforcement, security and intelligence services,” he added.
