Fee hike vital for safety

The South African National Consumer Union (Sancu) has lambasted the Civil Aviation Authority for proposing a 50 percent hike in its passenger safety charges, saying consumers would have to pay an additional R100 million a year.

However, the authority (SACAA) has defended the increase as vital to support infrastructure spending that has been neglected for more than a decade, leaving safety and security equipment in a “dire” and “risky” condition.

Sancu vice-chairman Clif Johnston said the proposed increase from R12 to R18 per departing passenger would hit consumers hard because it followed hefty hikes in airport taxes and expected increases in fuel levies charged by airlines.

“There is a worrying tendency in South Africa for the public to be taxed indirectly through administrative charges and levies which are imposed and increased without due regard to input from the public that is expected to pay them. When organisations that raise and approve such charges do not contain consumer representation, there is always the danger that vested industry interests will attempt to pass their costs on to the consumer,” Johnston said.

Sancu’s estimate of R100m was based on the 16.5 million departing passengers reported by the Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) for last year. This excluded passenger services from non-Acsa airports such as Lanseria, meaning the real increase was likely to be higher.

“What really galls is there is no guarantee that this (money) will be used to promote passenger safety on scheduled flights. It will be used, according to the notice, ‘to assist SACAA to comply with its statutory mandate’, which includes safety and security oversight on various entities and certificate/licence holders for the benefit of travellers.”

Johnston said he was concerned the funds would go into the general budget where they could be used for “frivolous purposes” to buy fancy cars for officials, or to finance overseas trips.

Consumers were being asked to cross-subsidise stakeholders in the recreational and general aviation sector such as individual pilots, aviation training organisations and aircraft maintenance organisations that were under financial pressure.

“Consumer bodies like Sancu were not consulted, nor do there appear to be any consumer representatives serving on the committee recommending the increase,” he said.

Sancu had sent a submission to the civil aviation authority objecting to the proposed increase, saying flying was no longer a luxury that could be taxed selectively as budget air travel was being used by all income groups, Johnston said.

Civil Aviation Authority spokeswoman Phindiwe Gwebu said it was not true that the increase would fund frivolous expenses but that the income was needed to replace ailing infrastructure.

She said SACAA had tested various scenarios with the purpose of not burdening the industry unnecessarily and R18 had been the “most reasonable amount reached”. - The Mercury