Extra int’l boarding fee to be eliminated: Minister

Brazil’s Infrastructure Minister Tarcísio de Freitas said Monday (Oct 28) that the government is no longer going to charge the extra international boarding fee. The move, he said, is part of a number of government measures to reduce regulation in the sector, boost civil aviation, and encourage new companies to join the segment in Brazil.

“Among the measures is the elimination of the $18 extra fee for international flights,” the minister said after participating in the Forum of Leaders of the Latin American Association of Air Transport (Alta).

Created in 1999, the fee is paid by the passengers leaving the country and is charged along with the boarding fee. It is one of the sources of income of the National Civil Aviation Fund (FNAC), which finances airport infrastructure improvements.

The government, the minister reported, plans to increase the amount of passengers and cities across the country with flights available. Today, 140 million passengers are transported every year in the country in flights headed for 140 destinations. “Our goal is to reach 200 million passengers in 200 places by 2015 with the investments being administered thus far,” Freitas said.

The minister said he believes that, after the additional fee is eliminated, low-cost companies, which already work international flights in the country, may be interested in also offering domestic flights.

“We have several companies holding talks with us. These companies start to operate international routes and they may later on join the national market with domestic flights,” he pointed out.