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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 Ministry to raise air navigation fees
People watch an EVA Airways plane prepare for takeoff at Taipei International Airport （Songshan airport） on Jan.19. Photo: CNA
READY FOR TAKEOFF: The increase in charges would help pay for services and maintain equipment, after fees fell 73 percent due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ministry said
By Lery Hiciano / Staff Writer, with CNA
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications plans to increase air navigation service charges in the Taipei Flight Information Region （FIR） by 35 percent to NT$135,000 （US$4,205） per flight, which could generate NT$3 billion in revenue, it said yesterday.
The new fees would begin at the end of this year or early next year, the ministry said.
The public has until Nov. 11 to comment on the amendments to the Fee-charging Standards for the Use of State-Operated Airport, Navigation Aids and Related Facilities （使用國營航空站助航設備及相關設施收費標準）.
The service charges are necessary to cover operational costs, maintain and replace equipment, and provide services within the FIR, the ministry said.
Equipment such as navigational aids, runway approach lighting systems and radios need to be regularly maintained or replaced, while services such as air traffic control, meteorological forecasts and intelligence reports must be maintained, it said.
The services ensure the safety and sustainability of flights within the FIR, it added.
The transit route fees within the FIR are being updated to reflect the increasing costs of providing these services, it said.
Service fees within the FIR peaked in 2019 at NT$2.4 billion, ministry data showed.
The start of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 and its effect on border controls and air travel led to a sharp decline in revenue, falling to less than NT$700 million by 2021, a 73 percent drop.
Last year, transit fees generated NT$1.9 billion, while the ministry said it expects revenue to exceed NT$2 billion this year.
The FIR averages 605 flights per day, meaning that with a 35 percent increase in revenue, the total annual value of service charges could exceed NT$3 billion.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
