How airport fees are set
Most of what you pay on top of the fare is set by governments, not airlines. A charge pays for a service at the airport, such as the terminal, security screening or passenger processing. A tax goes into general government revenue. Under the rules of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), charges should be linked to the cost of the service, apply to all passengers on equal terms, and be published in advance after talking to airlines.
The three kinds of money on a ticket
| Type | What it pays for | Who usually sets it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airport charge | Use of the terminal, gates and passenger facilities | Airport operator, approved by the civil aviation authority | Passenger service charge |
| Security or processing charge | Screening, border control systems, passenger data checks | Government, by decree or regulation, sometimes under a contract with a private supplier | Airport security fee |
| Tax | General government spending | Parliament or the finance ministry | Departure tax, travel tax, VAT on tickets |
The international rules
ICAO is the United Nations agency for civil aviation. Its policy on airport charges (Doc 9082) asks states to follow four principles:
- Cost relation. A charge should recover the cost of the service it pays for, not raise general revenue.
- No discrimination. Passengers in the same situation pay the same, whatever their airline or nationality, except where a published rule says otherwise.
- Transparency. The amount, the basis and the use of the money should be published.
- Consultation. Airlines and other users should be consulted before a charge is introduced or changed.
ICAO draws a line too between charges and taxes. It asks states not to tax international air travel as such, and to keep money raised from aviation charges for aviation. These are recommendations. Each country decides how far it follows them.
How a fee gets into your ticket
When a government wants airlines to collect a fee inside the ticket price, the fee is given a code in the airline industry's ticketing system, run through IATA. Airlines then add it at the time of sale and pass the money on to the body that imposed it. When a fee has no ticket code, or airlines decline to carry it, the fee has to be paid separately: at a desk in the airport, online before travel, or through a bank. That is why some airports still have a queue to pay a fee in cash.
Security fees run with private suppliers
Some governments pay for airport security and border systems out of the national budget. Others sign a contract with a private company that installs and runs the systems, and the cost is recovered through a fee paid by passengers. Under that model the contract sets how the fee is split between the supplier, the government and the aviation authority, and how long the arrangement lasts. Each airport page on this site says which model applies and links to the official notice.
Where to check a fee yourself
- The civil aviation authority of the country, which publishes approved charges.
- The government gazette or the ministry that issued the decree or notice.
- Your ticket receipt, which lists each tax and fee by its code.
- The airline's page on taxes and fees for the route.
Next: who collects the money and who audits it, or go straight to the airport pages.