New air navigation and safety fees will be introduced by the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA), from January 1, increasing air fares for passengers.
TCAA’s public information officer, Bestina Maguto, told eTNW that the new fees would come into effect following a final decision by the authority after a stakeholders’ meeting in July. The new charges will take place in two phases: the first from January until December 2014 and the second from January 2015.
Bestina says the safety fees are charged directly to passengers via airfares but, regarding the navigation fees, it is up to airlines if they add it to their fares.
The charges will see foreign aircraft pay up to US$375 (up from $300) in navigation charges in phase one and $400 in phase two. Domestic passengers will pay TZS3 000 (R19), up from TZS1 000 (R6), in safety fees in phase one and TZS5 000 (R32) while international passengers will pay $12 (R122), up from $8 (R81), in phase one and $15 (R153) in phase two.
While travel to Tanzania could become more costly, chairman of the Tanzania Society of Travel Agents Moustafa H. Khataw told eTNW during stakeholder talks: “Personally, I believe the increase is steep. This would have an indirect effect in terms of airfares, which would increase in the near future. As such, the spillover effect will affect tourists but will not have a major impact on tourist arrivals into the country.”
Tlali Tlali, executive of group corporate affairs for SAA, says: “The pricing of airline tickets takes into consideration a number of factors that include but are not limited to airport charges, fuel, navigation fees, security levies and other applicable costs. Tanzania is not the first country to raise navigation fees. This happens in different countries at different times.”
He adds that at this stage SAA will continue to price its services as best it can to remain competitive whilst at the same time ensuring that its customers derive value for money.
“The increase in navigation fees could result in SAA reviewing its fares but that does not necessarily translate into automatic fare increases every time when changes of this nature occur. We do not foresee any negative impact on the traffic between South Africa and Tanzania,” Tlali says.
