Abu Dhabi introduces Dh35 airport fee

Abu Dhabi airport is introducing a Dh35 fee for passengers transiting or departing the airport, according to a report on Tuesday.
"The new fee will be charged from the passengers with  effect from July," says Al Ittehad newspaper, citing a resolution adopted by Abu Dhabi Executive Council in April.
The announcement comes barely two months after Dubai and Sharjah airports introduced similar charges for passengers.
"Every passenger departing from Abu Dhabi's airports will have to pay Dh35 as fee, however, transit passengers and children below two years of age will be exempted from the new fee," according to the report.
"The new fee is not being collected, as yet," says Bilal Chaudhary, a senior travel advisor at National Travels and Tourism in Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi International Airport has become region's fastest growing travel hub. It has reported 9.5 per cent quarter-on-quarter increase in passenger traffic during the first quarter of 2016.
Between January and March this year, 6,044,025 passengers travelled through Abu Dhabi, compared with 5,521,110 during the same period last year.
The number of passengers traveling through Abu Dhabi in March 2016 jumped to over two million passengers, reaching 2,025,842, up 5.6 per cent from 1,917,939 in March 2015.
haseeb@khaleejtimes.com