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reprinted from:
Auckland Airport may raise departure
fees
Copyright 1998 Wellington Evening Post
Reprinted with permission
Article date: July 6, 1998
Passengers leaving Auckland on international air flights might have to pay departure fees
of at least $ 32, on top of their fares, before being allowed on board.
The departure tax stands at $ 20, but Auckland
International Airport chiefs say a $ 12 increase will be necessary from next July to
recover government inspection charges now picked up by taxpayers.
Domestic passengers could also face departure fees for the first time if security
screening is extended to them and if the airport has to pay more than $ 60 million to
soundproof thousands of nearby homes.
The Civil Aviation Authority is reviewing its requirements for screening hold-stowed
baggage, which the airport company suggests could see domestic passengers caught in a
wider security net.
Having to soundproof homes is a planning requirement imposed by Manukau City Council as a
condition of building a second runway. However, the airport company is challenging this in
the Environment Court.
A fee rise to recover government border inspection costs has been expected for some time,
but the airport company has only just admitted the likely size among "risk
factors" listed in its sale prospectus.
It has warned potential buyers a $ 12 increase will be enough to recover the Government's
agricultural, customs and immigration charges only if passenger numbers grow or remain
close to existing levels.
Reproduced by permission of the Evening Post,
Wellington, New Zealand
In the News
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