China's Airport Construction Fee to be included in ticket price from 1 September 2004

The new Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport opened today, and in accordance with requirements of the notice jointly issued by the Ministry of Finance and CAAC, starting 1 August, air carriers and air ticket sales agents are to collect the airport construction fee for the CAAC when selling tickets for flights departing from domestic airports.

Starting from 1 September 2004, all passengers will pay their airport construction fee within the ticket instead of buying it at the airport. The airport construction fee will be listed separately in a single item on the ticket (on the behalf of CAAC) with air carriers responsible for its collection. The scope and standard for charging the airport construction fee will be executed according to present regulations (except for passengers holding diplomatic passports on International, Hong Kong or Macao flights and children under and including the age of 12). All passengers traveling within the airports of China need to pay this airport construction fee, including commercial or charter flight passengers.

The standard airport construction fee is 50 RMB levied for passengers on domestic flights; 90 RMB levied for passenger of International, Hong Kong and Macao flights and 10 RMB levied for passengers on domestic/regional flights.

Passengers will still need to pay the airport construction fee at the new airport when they purchase their tickets prior to August 1st for flights departing no earlier than 1 September.

The date for issuing the tickets will be checked to determine whether passengers have paid the airport construction fee or not. In case of ticket refunds, air carriers and ticket sales agents are to refund the airfare along with the pre-paid airport construction fee.