The South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority at Wau Airport has referred a dispute over a proposed five-dollar passenger levy involving an airline and the Western Bahr el Ghazal State Ministry of Finance to its headquarters in Juba for further discussions.
Dhuor Angui Dhuor, the authority’s acting manager at Wau Airport, told Radio Tamazuj on Wednesday that he had received a letter concerning the dispute and forwarded it to senior management in Juba, saying civil aviation matters fall under the responsibility of the national government.
He said the proposed five-dollar charge was intended to be paid by passengers boarding flights, rather than by airlines, warning that the additional cost could place a financial burden on travellers who already pay for their tickets.
“We were called to a meeting last week to discuss the matter between the company and the state Ministry of Finance. Our position as South Sudan Civil Aviation at Wau is that we fall under the national government. I received the letter and sent it to Juba so that the top management could take note of the matter,” Dhuor said.
“We have learned that the five-dollar charge is to be paid by boarding passengers, not the company. We saw that passengers, who are already paying for their tickets, would also have to pay this fee. This will be difficult for them,” he added.
Dhuor said the national headquarters is expected to meet with state authorities to discuss the matter before communicating a final decision.
He also said an earlier payment of 1,000 South Sudanese pounds had been discontinued in June following complaints from passengers.
According to Dhuor, no airline had resumed collecting the previous 1,000-pound charge or begun collecting the proposed five-dollar levy since the earlier arrangement was suspended.
He said a circular received by the airport indicated that passengers were expected to pay $170 for a ticket from Wau to Juba.
Dhuor said the public would be informed once the national headquarters and state authorities reached an agreement on the disputed charge.
Last week, the Western Bahr el Ghazal State Ministry of Finance, Planning and Investment said the government was implementing the stamp duty in accordance with constitutional provisions governing revenue collection.
According to a document seen by Radio Tamazuj, the state Ministry of Finance and the State Revenue Authority issued a clarification on the stamp duty following objections raised by Kush Airlines over the proposed five-dollar charge per passenger.
and then