Travelling to UAE from Oman to become costlier

Muscat: Travelling to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will now be costlier as the Dubai and Sharjah airports have announced plans to levy an airport fee of AED35 (OMR3.6) on passengers leaving the country.
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On Tuesday, the Sharjah Executive Council (SEC) issued a resolution for the year 2016 on the collection of an AED35 (OMR 3.6) departure fee at the Sharjah International Airport for the use of airport facilities and services, according to according to the Emirates News Agency.
Earlier, a similar move was announced by the Dubai Airport.
Referred to as the airport facilities' fee, it has to be paid by all passengers who leave the Dubai and Sharjah airports.
In Dubai, officials said airlines will collect the fee while issuing tickets for flights departing after June 30,
The collected fees will be transferred to Dubai Airports, and subsequently to the Dubai Government’s public treasury.
The resolution aims to improve Dubai’s airport infrastructure and boost its capacity, which is set to reach 100 million passengers by 2023, as well as support expansion projects, such as the state-of-the-art Concourse D at the Dubai International Airport, Terminal 2 and the renovation of Terminal 1, according to the Emirates News Agency.
However, passengers under the age of two and aircraft crew on duty will be exempted from paying the fee. “The United Arab Emirates is looking to boost its diversification strategy as low oil prices continue to weigh on revenues. So they are announcing several plans to spruce up their revenue,” said Satish M, who regularly travels to the UAE.
Indian expat, M Adhikari, however, said he doesn’t mind paying this money. “I don’t mind paying the money as I think this will go towards enhancing airport services, which are world class.”
Businessman Mohammed Al Kindi, however, said blue collar workers will feel the heat. “It will not make much difference to executives, but the blue collar workers will feel the pressure as every rial counts for them.”