AoT pushes ahead on new security fee

AoT pushes ahead on new security fee

Passengers take their luggage to check in at Suvarnabhumi airport on Aug 25. (Post Today photo)
Passengers take their luggage to check in at Suvarnabhumi airport on Aug 25. (Post Today photo)

Airports of Thailand Plc is continuing with plans to impose an additional 35-baht security fee on passengers using its facilities starting Dec 1.

The AoT board agreed Tuesday to keep the plan unchanged for passengers on international routes, as well as transit and transfer flyers at Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Hat Yai and Mae Fah Luang in Chiang Rai.

The decision was reached after the airport agency settled on the schedule with the Immigration Bureau, Airline Operations Committee, the Board of Airlines, and the Customs Department.

The AOC earlier urged the airport operator to defer the fee for three months to allow sufficient time for airlines to prepare for it.

But AoT president Nitinai Sirismatthakarn said after the meeting that the Dec 1 launch date was a go.

The 35-baht fee for the Advance Passenger Processing System will be added to tickets bought from Oct 1 for travellers using the airports from Dec 1.

The system will allow customs officials, airport and airline staff and immigration police to obtain the profiles of passengers from their countries of origin. They will be able to check if passengers are blacklisted or banned from leaving a country.

Authorities will share passenger information and passengers whose profiles are problem-free can pass immigration checks more quickly, they claimed.

ACM Prajin Juntong said that when he was the transport minister that APPS should be introduced to Samui and Krabi airports managed by the Department of Civil Aviation.

The surcharge will add 120 baht million in revenue for the AoT based on its estimate that 60 million passengers will use its six airports every year.

The 2S Consortium, which comprises Somapa Information Technology Plc and Samart Comtech Co, will receive 1.98 billion baht under the deal, having won AoT approval to install and operate the system for five years.

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