The state has collected an additional $17.7 million in airport taxes following the enforcement of a new amendment to the Airport Taxes and Fees Act, the Ministry of Finance and Planning has revealed.
The new amendment to the Airport Taxes and Fees Act came into force on 1 December, affecting passengers departing from the country. According to the finance ministry, since enforcing the amended law, the state has accrued an additional USD 17,769,193 in revenue.
Under the new regulations, the Airport Development Fee applies to passengers travelling from Velana International Airport (VIA). However, only the departure tax is levied on passengers departing from international airports in other parts of the country. The amendment raised airport development taxes and fees for foreign travellers.
The fee for economy class passengers was raised from USD 30 to USD 50, while business class fares increased from USD 50 to USD 120. First-class fares jumped from USD 90 to USD 240, and fees for private jets increased from USD 120 to USD 480. These changes are part of the government's broader fiscal reform agenda.
According to the weekly fiscal development report released by the finance ministry, as of 26 December 2023, the state collected approximately USD 64 million. However, during the same period this year, the state has collected approximately USD 71.3 million.
The statistics indicate that last year, as of 26 December 2023, the state collected approximately USD 62.3 million as airport service charges and departure taxes. This figure has risen to approximately USD 71.3 million this year, following the enforcement of the new amended legislation. This means that since enforcing the new legislation, the state has generated an additional income of approximately USD 17.7 million.
Despite these adjustments, the fees for Maldivian passengers travelling in economy class have remained unchanged. Statistics released by the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA) show that 97.8% of Moldavians who travelled abroad in 2023 travelled in economy class. MIRA statistics also revealed that 90.2% of the tourists who arrived in the country in 2023 travelled in economy class.