ALTA: Proposed Colombian travel tax will damage competitiveness

The Latin American & Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) has spoken out against a national air passenger travel tax—which would charge a COP8,000 (US$2.86) fee for Colombian passengers and COP13,935 fee for international passengers—proposed by Bogota, Colombia mayor Enrique Peñalosa, who said the tax is necessary for road infrastructure investment. In its April newsletter, ALTA warned the proposed increase in taxes and fees could damage the competitiveness of Colombia’s primary air terminals, particularly Bogota’s El Dorado International Airport (BOG). ALTA member airlines represent over 90% of the Latin American-Caribbean region’s commercial air traffic. ALTA said its concerns are backed up by IATA and ATAC (Asociación de Transporte Aéreo en Colombia). <br/>