DUSHANBE, July 25, 2011, Asia-Plus — Dushanbe International Airport is ready to exempt Tajik national air carrier, Tajik Air, from paying airport service fees for domestic flights.
Aziz Ibrohimov, deputy director general of Dushanbe International Airport, announced this at a news conference in Dushanbe on July 25. According to him, they are currently working out mechanism of providing discounts to Tajik national air carrier.
“We have provided 60 percent airport service fee discounts for all flights operated by Tajik Air,” said Ibrohimov, “To exempt Tajik Air from paying airport service fees for domestic flights we have to carry out a certain work.”
He added that the main problem facing Tajik national air carrier was not the payment of airport service fees but increasing air fuel prices. “The international air fuel prices are rising,” noted Ibrohimov. “In addition to this, there is an excise duty on air fuel in Tajikistan. It is big money. We will exempt Tajik Air from paying airport service fees for the domestic flights for the sake of the national interest.”
We will recall that Tajik Air suspended flights to Khorog, the capital of the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (Gorno Badakhshan or GBAO) on July 15 because of their unprofitableness.
The Tajik-Air top manager Muzaffar Ishoqov told reporters on July 21 that they will be able to operate flights to Khorog only if they are exempted from paying air navigation and airport service fees on this route. Ishoqov said that sometimes monthly losses from the Dushanbe-Khorog flight had been estimated at 100,000 U.S. dollars.
“We are ready to operate flights to Khorog and other cities of the country only if the company is exempted from paying air navigation and airport service fees on the domestic routes,” Ishoqov said, adding that the flight from Dushanbe to Khujand is also unprofitable.
Tajik Air had an absolute monopoly in Tajikistan’s air transport, owning all planes, airports, and airport and flight services. As a result of restructuring, Tajik Air was split up into several separate companies (state unitary enterprises): Tajik Air; Dushanbe International Airport, Khujand International Airport; Kulob International Airport; Qurghon Teppa International Airport, Fuel Supply Company, Tajikaeronavigatsiya (air navigation); and In-flight Meals. All these state enterprises, except Tajikaeronavigatsiya, have been reorganized into open joint-tock companies.
