Doha airport brings in passenger tax

The 35-riyal ($10) levy is to be introduced this week, Hamad International Airport says

DOHA: Qatar's international airport said Monday it is to charge passengers an exit tax as the energy-reliant emirate adjusts to falling oil prices.

The 35-riyal ($10) levy is to be introduced this week, Hamad International Airport (HIA) said in a statement.



The fee, to be added to airline ticket prices, will apply to tickets issued on or after August 30, as well as for travel starting on or after December 1. "The charge is in line with International Civil Aviation Organisation principles to support the development of world leading airports such as HIA," it said.

Almost nine million passengers passed through Doha airport in the first quarter of this year. Gas-rich Qatar, which is to host football's World Cup 2022, has warned it will run a budget deficit of more than $12 billion in 2016, its first in 15 years.

In June, officials warned that more deficits would follow in 2017 and 2018, as an era of lower oil prices forces Arab states of the traditionally taxes-free Gulf region to adapt.

Earlier ion March, the emirate of Dubai, whose airport is the world’s busiest for international passengers, announced it was introducing a tax on travellers to help finance expansion, as Gulf governments grapple with plummeting revenues.



The 35-dirham ($9.50) fee will apply to all passengers, including those transitting in Dubai, on all flights from June 30, according to a statement carried by WAM state news agency.

It is the first time Dubai has announced a passenger tax, which is imposed in many airports worldwide.

More than 78 million passengers passed through Dubai International in 2015, keeping its place as the world’s busiest for international passengers since overtaking London Heathrow in 2014.