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Flying to GCC from Dubai to get more expensive

Dubai - The new DH 35 charge levied by Dubai and Sharjah airports will have huge implications on all passengers flying out of the region.

Travelling from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will now be costlier, a fact that is sure to hit GCC countries the hardest.
The new DH 35 charge levied by Dubai and Sharjah airports will have huge implications on all passengers flying out of the region.
According to their published statistics, Dubai airport receives almost 606,730 passengers from Saudi Arabia every year. There are multiple daily flights from Dubai to the main GCC hubs like Jeddah, Riyadh and Doha. According to the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTM) figures, within the GCC, Saudi Arabia currently leads the number of Dubai tourist, contributing 1.54million visitors to the UAE in 2015, followed by Oman, Kuwait and Qatar, all of which ranked among the top 20.
The resolution exempts passengers below two years, cabin crew from paying the fee in addition to transit passengers whose arrival and departure flight number is the same.
Passengers flying out of Dubai will have to pay a charge of Dh35 for the use of airport facilities from July 1. It is the first time a passenger exit fee also known as widely known as "user development fee" has been announced in Dubai. Currently, airlines operating out of Dubai airports charge Dh75 fee towards passenger service and Dh5 towards security and safety service.
"Airlines operating in Dubai airports are tasked with collecting the fee while issuing tickets, whether in the UAE or outside the country, effective March 1, 2016, for flights departing Dubai's airports after 30 June 2016," a statement from Dubai Media Office said last week.
Many airports worldwide charge a user development fee to fund expansion and upgrade of airport facilities. In India, airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Kochi and Hyderabad levy such fees.
Dubai and Sharjah's announcements come as oil prices have slumped to under $40 a barrel, squeezing countries across the Gulf. 
More than 78 million passengers passed through Dubai International in 2015, keeping its place as the worlds busiest for international passengers since overtaking London Heathrow in 2014. Last month, Dubai Airports increased the capacity of its main airport to 90 million passengers with the opening of concourse D, at a cost of $1.2 billion.
Around 100 airlines fly to more than 240 destinations from the international hub, which is also home to carrier Emirates.