Push to lower airfares for interior residents gains momentum

Stakeholder consultations will be held in the coming weeks to review and potentially reduce the cost of domestic air travel, as efforts intensify to make flights more affordable for interior communities, President Irfaan Ali said.

Speaking during an outreach in Bartica, Region Seven, Ali said the state has already provided significant incentives to private aviation operators, but stressed that the expected benefits to passengers have not materialised.

He said domestic carriers currently benefit from a range of concessions, including zero tax on aviation fuel, fiscal incentives on aircraft purchases, the removal of VAT on tickets, and upgrades to aviation infrastructure.

“But we are not getting the corresponding returns from them,” Ali said.
The president said the upcoming consultations will focus on ways to ensure that support extended to operators translates into lower travel costs for citizens.

“In the coming weeks the minister will be holding consultations so we can find ways to support the villages in reversing the cost of air transport,” he said.

High domestic airfares remain a long-standing challenge for interior communities, affecting travel, as well as the movement of food, supplies, and services linked to mining, tourism and other economic activity.