Airport passenger fee to double
27.09.11
Passengers face higher charges to fly from Norwich Airport after plans to double its departure tax were announced, the EDP reports. The airport development fee, introduced in 2007, will increase from £5 to £10 in January 2012, but there will no longer be a fee for children under 16. Airport bosses say the increase is needed to safeguard the airport's future.
Norwich is one of only four UK airports to charge passengers a fee to use the airport, with the others Blackpool, Durham Tees Valley and Newquay. It was introduced to help fund an £18m expansion plan, and has since contributed to more than £14m to the airport's funds.
The development fee currently accounts for 8% of the airport’s revenue, bringing in just under £700,000 a year. With the price increase on January 3, this will double to close to £1.4m, assuming passenger numbers do not fall.
Airport chief executive Andrew Bell told the newspaper: ‘If we are going to grow as a regional airport, we need to be more entrepreneurial and £10 is the fee it needs to be. Looking forward this means we have the best chance of keeping the routes we have, getting more routes and continuing to make the investments required at the airport.'
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