Tulsi joins the party of Common Sense

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Airport Fees Look Set to Rise in Oct 2012

The Airports of Thailand is considering an increase in fees for airports across the country, which will likely come into effect by October of next year.

Airports of Thailand or AOT Vice President Nitinai Sirismatthakarn said the company is considering increasing its passenger service charge for international routes to 800 to 850 baht per passenger.

The charge is currently 700 baht.

The service charge for domestic routes is likely to increase to 150 baht per passenger, from the current 100 baht.

The new rates should go into effect by October next year.

Nitinai reasoned that the current rate has been frozen since 2007, but airports under the AOT's jurisdiction have seen vast improvements.

The new rates will have to be approved by the company's board before they are forwarded to the Civil Aviation Department and the transport minister for consideration.

The AOT said the airport's cost per passenger for domestic routes stands at more than 300 baht per passenger, while that for passengers on international routes is 750 baht.

The vice president said the AOT hopes to earn more revenue from passengers on international routes, as 33 million of those passengers pass through the AOT's airports annually, while only about ten million passengers fly on domestic routes.

-- Tan Network 2011-09-01