Shirak airport to exempt passengers from ‘air tax’
11.12.2014,
17:18
Armenian economy minister Karen Chshmarityan said today all passengers who will use the Shirak airport in the second largest town of Gyumri to leave the country will be exempted from paying the so-called "air tax."
YEREVAN, December 11. / ARKA /. Armenian economy minister Karen Chshmarityan said today all passengers who will use the Shirak airport in the second largest town of Gyumri to leave the country will be exempted from paying the so-called "air tax."
Speaking to reporters after a Cabinet session the minister said a special decision to that end was passed today by the government ‘in a bid to stimulate the growth of passenger traffic’ after the airport reported a significant drop in the number of handled passengers.
He said negotiations are underway with various low-cost carriers, as well as airports on cutting prices for certain types of services. He said this is expected to increase the number of flights and passengers choosing the Shirak airport.
Prime minister Hovik Abrahamyan described the decision as ‘a very important step that will affect the government revenue, but will at the same time encourage the Gyumri airport to work towards increasing passenger traffic.’
According to the latest data, released by the Chief Civil Aviation Department, Armenia’s international airports Zvartnots in Yerevan and Shirak in Gyumri handled over 1.9 million passengers in the first 11 months of the outgoing year, a 21 percent rise year-on-year.
Zvartnots and Shirak airports are run by Armenia-International Airports, a company owned by an Argentine citizen of Armenian descent Eduardo Eurnekian. In 2001 the company signed a concesional agreement with the government to manage the airports for 30 years. -0-
