Another surcharge for air travellers!

AN air-traffic congestion surcharge for Amausi Airport? Don?t be surprised. A return ticket from Delhi or Mumbai to Lucknow also includes Rs 150 surcharge being levied by certain private operators much to the chagrin of frequent travellers to the two metros.

AN air-traffic congestion surcharge for Amausi Airport? Don’t be surprised.
A return ticket from Delhi or Mumbai to Lucknow also includes Rs 150 surcharge being levied by certain private operators much to the chagrin of frequent travellers to the two metros.

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Some of the airline ticketing agents in the city have been confronted by passengers who were shocked over “air traffic congestion surcharge” for return tickets as Amausi airport is not a high density traffic airport requiring an aircraft to hover around for hours before getting runway clearances for landing from the Air Traffic Control (ATC).

A number of private domestic carriers recently started charging Rs 150 on tickets as “air traffic congestion surcharge” on the plea that their aircraft have to hover around for hours or wait at airports on account of delay in runway clearances for landing and take off operations due to rising congestion at most airports in the country.

The ticketing agents remain confused over the applicability of service tax on the “air traffic congestion surcharge” as no official confirmation had reached ticketing agents from the Union Finance Ministry whether the Rs 150 surcharge is approved as “part of an airline ticket” to be liable for charging service tax to be charged from passengers, says the manager of a travel house.

“Right now service tax is being charged on the entire cost of the ticket (including the air traffic congestion surcharge) just to make sure that there are no tax liabilities on agents who fail to collect the tax on the surcharge and government decides to announce that the service tax was applicable on “ air congestion surcharge from retrospective effect”, he said.

However, it is still not known whether one could be liable to pay service tax on the “air traffic congestion surcharge” as the Union Civil Aviation Ministry is itself opposing the levy of “air traffic congestion surcharge” by certain airlines in the country, a ticketing agent in the city said.

He said private operators levying the “air traffic congestion tax” have officially notified all ticketing agents to levy such a surchage on passengers without discussing the service tax issue at all.

Vivek Pandey, Regional Manager of Pearl International Tours and Travels (UP region), the travel arm of the Pearl Pet Group confirmed that the air traffic congestion surcharge is being levied even on return tickets for flights originating from other cities to Amausi Airport in Lucknow.

“The air traffic congestion surcharge is applicable for even return tickets,” he said. The Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel had already advised private operators not to levy the “air traffic congestion surcharge” on airline tickets while also deciding to call a meeting of the top-level executive of airlines to discuss the matter at the earliest.