Expensive air tickets have contributed to the high cost of doing business in East Africa, a new report has revealed.
It is estimated that 43 percent of air ticket prices in the region comprise of regulatory charges and taxes.
Regulatory fees, on the other hand, account for up to 24 percent, the regional Assembly was told in Arusha early this week.
The findings indicate air transport in East Africa was generally expensive by international standards going by the current airfares and flight charges.
"The expensive rates on both passenger and cargo flights contribute to the high cost of doing business in the region", the report pointed out.
The revelations were tabled before the East African Legislative Assembly (Eala) which has been holding a plenary sitting in Arusha.
It followed a recent visit by the lawmakers to the headquarters of the Civil Aviation, Safety and Security Oversight Agency (Cassoa).
The Entebbe-based Cassoa is an institution of the East African Community (EAC) established to promote air safety and civil aviation development.
The legislators observed that the amount of taxes and fees paid by air travelers in East Africa surpassed those charged elsewhere in Africa and the world.
In Africa, the average taxes and fees paid is $64 while in Europe and the Middle East passengers are charged $30 and $29 respectively.
"That is in spite of the fact that air traffic is much more significant in these regions than Africa", the legislators said.
In the EAC,air navigation charges are largely levied on air operators to cater for enroute, approach and in terminal area costs.
For instance,a passenger airline ticket between Dar es Salaam and Nairobi costs between $340 and $400 and $ 350 between Nairobi and Entebbe.
In many cases, the cost of air tickets within the region exceeded by far those from the region to Europe or the Middle East.
Burundi has the highest passenger fees ($60) followed by Uganda and Tanzania which charge $57 and $54 respectively.
Both Kenya and Rwanda impose $50 each. No statistics could be obtained from South Sudan whose air space was until recently under the administration of Sudan.
Efforts to have the six partner states lower the air ticket costs and harmonize air travel policies have not been successful.
That is despite a directive made by the 17th Sectoral Council on Transportation, Communication and Meteorology in June last year.
Huge variations in air navigation charges and the high cost of air transport have made air travel "very expensive in the region", the report observed.
However,the six partner states through their revenue collection agencies were urged to act and come up with a workable solution by December this year.
They should develop strategies for reducing the cost of air travel in the region by examining factors behind the high ticket costs.
The EAC secretariat, on its part, was tasked to review and harmonize charging mechanisms, fees and taxes levied on airlines.
This, the legislators observed,would reduce the ticket costs "and enhance demand for air travel in the region".
Airport fees are charged for at least 18 services at the East African airports. They include landing, parking and passenger buses.
Debating the report, the MPs called for reduction of air travel as the high costs involved could impact on the tourism sector.
Kennedy Mukulia Ayason (South Sudan) reiterated the call for domestication of the EAC airspace through which harmonization of air travel expenses can be realized.
Jean Marie Muhirwa from Burundi said Cassoa should have more presence in the region's aviation industry than is the case at present.
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