29 August 2016
DOHA: Passengers leaving Qatar through Hamad International Airport (HIA) from December 1 will be levied a fee of QR35 for using airport facilities. The new HIA passenger facility charge will be applied to air tickets issued from tomorrow and for any travel on or after December 1, according to a statement issued by HIA yesterday.

"Hamad International Airport (HIA) will be introducing a Passenger Facility Charge of QR 35 ($10) to all departing passengers including transfer passengers connecting within 24 hours," said the statement.

Infants under two years without a seat and transit passengers who do not require an aircraft change and involuntary rerouting have been exempted from the new fee.

"The charge is in line with ICAO principles to support the development of world's leading airports such as HIA to further increase the airport's capacity and invest in new infrastructure and state-of-the-art technology to deliver world-class facilities for passengers," added the statement.

Travel agents across the country have already received a circular from Qatar Airways and other airlines informing about the new fee. The agents say the new fee will be mentioned in the air ticket in the same way as other charges.

"We are upgrading the system to issue tickets so that the new fee can be automatically included while issuing tickets," said a travel consultant.

"The new fee will be added to the ticket fare. For example, if the fare is QR1,000, with the new fee, it will cost QR1,035 for every passenger travelling from December 1," she added.

© The Peninsula 2016