Domestic travellers in Saudi Arabia will soon need to pay an airport tax of 10 Saudi riyals (Dh9.8) every time they fly into or depart from airports in the kingdom.
The General Authority of Civil Aviation issued a circular stating that Airport Building Charges for the use of passenger terminal buildings and facilities will be introduced across the country's airports from Wednesday, January 1, 2020.
The fee is set to fund airport infrastructure development projects and enhance the level of airport services, Gaca said
The charges mean that domestic passengers will pay at least an extra 20 Saudi riyals on every flight. They will be charged once upon departure and again upon landing.
Crew members, infants and transit passengers who do not leave the aircraft will be exempt from the fees.
Airlines will collect the charge from passengers by adding it to ticket prices. They will then pass on the amount charged to airport administration and finance departments. The charge will be reviewed every three years and could go up or down depending on inflation or deflation.
Enhancements at airports across the country will likely have an effect on traveller satisfaction, which is monitored by Gaca. Saudi Arabia's four international hubs at Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Madinah are ranked from 60 to 79 per cent for customer satisfaction, according to passenger data from September.
The announcement comes a little over a month since Saudi Arabia introduced international tourism visas for visitors from 49 countries.
