Airlines raise ticket prices after Civil Aviation Authority increased security fees

JUBA, APRIL 8, 2023 (SUDANS POST) – The decision by South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to increase security fee charged to air travellers has forced airlines to sharply increase the prices of the air tickets, sparking concerns from among the citizens.

The Civil Aviation Authority in a statement dated February 22^nd, 2023, and released last week announced that it will increase security fee for incoming and outgoing passengers from $25 to $60, effective from April 1^st, 2023.

As a result of the CAA decision, regional low-cost carriers such as Premier Airlines, Tarco Aviation, and East African Express have now increased their air tickets from $250 to $300 for a one-way ticket to Kenya and Uganda.

The hike in airfare has come as a surprise to many travellers.

The decision which was also communicated to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) by the South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority marks a significant departure from previous charges.

The authority claims that the new fee has been implemented to improve airport security and infrastructure throughout the country and maintains that the new fee is necessary to ensure the safety and security of passengers and airport infrastructure.

ACTIVIST YAKANI REACTS

In a statement reacting to the increase, prominent activist and Executive Director of Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) Edmund Yakani said his organization has been shocked by the sharp increase in the cost of airfare.

“CEPO is shocked with the sharp increase on flights landing fee at Juba International Airport and this will automatically have negative impact on the prices of tickets. This increase by the Civil Aviation Authority should have been reviewed and approved by lawmakers,” he said.

Yakani said that although it is a way of strengthening revenue collection, the increase will have negative impact on travelers who he said would choose to travel by road which is always risky given the highway attacks by gunmen.

“It is good to strength sources of revenue collection in the country, but it should be done in genuine manner,” he said.

“The more the flight tickets become expensive, the more the road transport becomes the best option for the civil  population but the challenge now is the issues of the insecurity around roads and poor road standards across the country,” he said.

He called on the political leadership of the country to address insecurity and urged the civil aviation authority to dialogue with airlines to resolve the matter.

“It is time high time for the political leadership of the country to provide security and stability through genuine political transitional process by implementing the R-ARCSS timely and accurately,” he stressed.

“CEPO is urging the civil aviation authority of South Sudan to orient and have dialogue with the airlines companies in South Sudan,” he added.