The government of Sierra Leone has in a press statement strongly criticized the selfishness of Securiport, an outfit providing security services at the Lungi International Airport, for levying a USD 25 charge on all inbound and outbound passengers.
As the government in the release states, "the decision to charge the said $25 by Securiport was done unilaterally without consultations with the relevant authorities in the aviation industry."
In its strongest terms, the press statement from the Ministry of Information and Communications said, "Given that and other considerations, the government has asked Securiport to halt the collection of the said levy." No passenger is compelled to pay the said amount to Securiport. "
This came after flyers on social media believed to have come from Securiport, with the inscription in bold, "Your Safety, Our Priority," addressed to all passengers, that, effective July 1st, 2022, an airport security fee of $25 is required to be paid by all inbound and outbound passengers to and from the country.
According to the flyer, "the applicable fee will allow the authorities to utilize cutting-edge border control technology tools to ensure the safety of passengers, airport installations, and other airport-related hardware and equipment."
The said information from Securiport was done in collaboration with the Sierra Leone Airports Authority and the Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority (SLCAA). The authorities have already developed a travel payment QR code platform, likely without central government knowledge.
This notice was received with mixed feelings, especially by stakeholders in the tourism sector, including local and international tourism. They were not informed, much less engaged, even though the said $25 had been collected all this while as security charges from air tickets.
Sierra Leone, The Gambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea Bissau, Nigeria, Niger, and Senegal were ranked as the top five countries in Africa with the highest airport taxes. This was disclosed at the 78th Annual General Meeting of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), in Doha.
The Director-General of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Willie Walsh, described the situation as "the nightmare is becoming a reality." He pleaded with governments to demonstrate what he referred to as "a backbone" to resist requests to increase airport fees.
The government of Sierra Leone agreed with Securiport, a Washington-based technology company, in March 2012, to provide security system services for travelers, the airport, and its civil aviation systems at the Freetown International Airport at Lungi.
However, the Ministry of Information and Communications assured the general public and all inbound and outbound passengers of "the government’s commitment to making air travel easy and convenient for our people."
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