Dubai: Abu Dhabi is adding a Dh35 fee for passengers transiting and departing the emirate’s airports from July, local Arabic daily Al Ittihad reported on Tuesday.
His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, approved the new charge in Executive Council Resolution No (37) of 2016, Al Ittihad said.
The announcement comes just over two months after Dubai and Sharjah issued similar resolutions for a new Dh35 charge on airport passengers.
The Abu Dhabi airport “service fee” will be effective after June 30 and apply to most passengers departing and transiting the emirate’s airports, Al Ittihad reported.
Like Dubai and Sharjah, the fee will not apply to passengers under the age of two, those transiting on the same flight number and airline crew.
Abu Dhabi Airports, the government-owned operator of five airports in the emirate, will collect the fee from airlines, Al Ittihad reported. An Abu Dhabi Airports spokesperson confirmed to Gulf News the report was accurate.
Abu Dhabi Airports operates the UAE’s second busiest airport, Abu Dhabi International, which is home to the Middle East’s third biggest carrier Etihad Airways.
Passengers departing from Abu Dhabi International are already charged a Dh75 ($20.42) service fee and a Dh5 ($1.36) security fee.
Abu Dhabi International handled 8,004,971 passengers in the first four months of the year, according to Gulf News calculations.
