Islamic Emirate raises airport service tax

KABUL (TOLOnews): The Islamic Emirate has increased the airport service fee for domestic and international flights in Afghanistan.
The director of Kabul Airport, Abdul Hadi Hamdan, said that as of September 1, 2022, the price of international tickets has increased by $25 and the price of domestic flights has increased by $5.
“The passenger tax, which is minor proportionally, was added to cover the costs of the ground services here, which are provided by the GAAC company, which is a service company,” said Hamdan. An official of a private aviation company in the country said that with this increase, the tax of every passenger who travels abroad will reach sixty-five dollars.
“I was told that the tickets that were sold earlier would not be subject to tax. This will now be in effect in two to three days, the costs will undoubtedly change, and today we had less people heading to Herat than usual,” said Mohammad Dawood Sharifi, senior advisor to the Kam Air Aviation Company.
“The challenges of the people will increase as ticket costs rise, because the people now are facing economic challenges,” said Qais Suhrabi, head of a tourist company.
Since 2013, the airport service tax in Afghanistan has been rising, and now travelers are required to pay for the security, maintenance, and development of the airport.