Collection of Ten Euro Fee for International Flights in Iran Has Begun

Iranian media has reported that the collection of a ten euro fee from passengers on international flights has commenced. The Mehr News Agency announced on Sunday, September 9, that the addition of a ten euro fee to the ticket price for outgoing flights has started. According to this report, flights to Baghdad, Najaf, Medina, Jeddah, and Damascus are exempt from this fee. The Civil Aviation Organization recently communicated the collection of ten euros as 'International Airport Development Fee' in a directive to travel agencies and service offices. This directive was issued on September 1 and was set to be implemented from September 2. The collection of the ten euro fee has faced backlash from social media users, many of whom criticized the addition of another fee to the ticket price. Some users pointed out the 'lack of airport development in recent years,' referring to the new fee as a source of government revenue and criticized the collection of national fees in foreign currency. The 'Airport Development Fee' is separate from other fees that passengers on outgoing flights in Iran must pay. According to the 'Value Added Tax Law' passed by the Islamic Consultative Assembly in 2019, every Iranian citizen must pay 520,000 tomans for their first trip abroad, and for subsequent trips, they must pay 780,000 tomans and one million forty thousand tomans respectively as an exit fee.