CAAZ, Air Zim urged to settle departure tax dispute File pic

CAAZBusiness Reporter —
Government has directed the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe to solve its current tiff with state airliner, Air Zimbabwe over departure taxes by the end of March this year.

All passengers flying on Air Zimbabwe to local and regional destinations pay a departure fee directly to CAAZ offices at the airports since 2014.

The fees paid are pegged at $15 for domestic departures and $50 for regional departures.

Transport and Infrastructure Development Minister Joram Gumbo told the authority’s inaugural annual general meeting yesterday that the institution must address its dispute with Air Zimbabwe over the charging of departure tax.

“I want to make sure that before the end of February or March, CAAZ would have resolved its differences with Air Zimbabwe regarding departure taxes.

“I must mention that while it may be good for CAAZ it might not be good for the clients of Air Zimbabwe. So I urge you to look at the issue in that perspective. It might not be Air Zim alone but other airlines must have complained, so if you are not making them happy then I don’t think you will be doing Zimbabwe a good service,” he said.

Going forward, Minister Gumbo said CAAZ should now focus on the refurbishment of the Harare International Airport following the successful completion of Victoria Falls Airport.

He said the current condition of Harare International Airport is not pleasant to business and must be addressed with urgency.

“I want to commend the CAAZ board for a job well done especially on the completion of the Victoria Falls Airport. Your minds must now shift towards the Harare International Airport.

“The runway is not in a good state and the current radar system is also not something that you could expect and there is work to be done there in refurbishing many departments of the airport. I think you can do us proud if you work as hard you did with the Vic Falls airport,” said Minister Gumbo.

The aviation authority at the moment has plans to increase its level of regulatory compliance with International Civil Aviation Organisation standards and recommended practices on safety from to 90 percent by December 31, 2018 from 60 percent.

CAAZ also intends to increase airport passenger handling capacity from the current 4 million to 9 million passengers a year by the end of 2018.

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