Aviation Fees

It has been the CAA’s long term pricing policy to keep changes in traffic charges to a level equal to about 70 % of expected inflation. With the exception of a few years we have been able to achieve this goal, which does not include the enforced effects of security activities on charges.

The CAA’s traffic charges declined slightly in 2005 from their 2004 level. On average, fees fell by 0.5 %, with the change for domestic traffic being -0.7 % and international traffic -0.4 %. There was a structural change in that the TN charge for airport air navigation services was increased whilst landing fees were correspondingly decreased.

The fee for an international transfer passenger rose by about a euro as a result of the introduction of the non-Schengen terminal extension at Helsinki-Vantaa. Other passenger fees remained at their 2004 level. In addition the security charge was lowered from 2.71 euros to 2.44 euros as a result of the slightly higher than expected passenger volumes, which allowed for greater efficiency. The flight path fee remained at the 2004 average.

The Civil Aviation Administration monitors air traffi c fees and developments at Europe’s main airports, the comparison including 20 airports. Helsinki-Vantaa Airport has come out well in the comparison, its overall level of charges on average being the third lowest. All CAA airports adhere to the same list of traffic charges; only individual service level factors affect service charges.

The comparison results depend on the types of aircraft being compared. Helsinki-Vantaa’s traffic fees are the second lowest for, among others, the Embraer 170 introduced by Finnair Oyj in the current year, and the third cheapest for the other most common types of plane flying into Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. London Heathrow is the most expensive airport, not counting a comparison made for a larger aircraft type, the MD- 11. In this case, the tariffs were highest at Zurich and lowest at Oslo and Athens.