Extra security charge added to cost of flights

International air travellers face a further $4.31 charge to cover airport security costs, Finance Minister Michael Cullen announced today.

Dr Cullen said that the Government and airlines would split the costs of screening passengers at the airports in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton, Palmerston North and Queenstown.

The airlines would recoup their costs through a charge on passengers.

Dr Cullen said that those costs would be recouped through a flat charge on passengers across the seven airports.

Some of the smaller airports had been concerned that lower passenger traffic would mean passengers travelling through them would face higher charges.

Dr Cullen said the flat fee, which would be incorporated into airport departure taxes, amounted to a 44c per passenger subsidy from Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland to the four smaller airports.

The charge would now be set at $8.31, rising to $9.31 when the $1 Civil Aviation levy was taken into account. The charge is currently set at $5 and was recouped through a $25 airport departure tax, the balance of which went to the airport.

The changes come into effect on October 1.

Dr Cullen said the Government had agreed to pay about 50 per cent of the $105 million yearly cost of screening passengers.

That cost was comprised of customs, biosecurity and aviation security, with the Government agreeing to pay for the first two and airlines the third.

"I am confident the solution we have decided upon is the fairest available and will be the most enduring and the simplest to administer," Dr Cullen said in a statement.

He also said new international airports would not have to cover the entire cost of passenger screening, as had been initially proposed.

Instead they would have to cover the full cost for one year, after which the Government would meet their agreed portion of the cost.

The Government had also rejected another proposal to make the four smaller airports pay a small biosecurity and customs charge to reflect greater per passenger costs at those airports, as the money recouped would be too small to justify it.

- NZPA