Thailand: Tourism chief to discuss lowering aviation fuel tax

Following a meeting of the joint committee from the Ministry of Transport on the development of Thailand’s transport network to promote tourism, minister of tourism Pipat Ratchakitprakarn said Tuesday that he is planning to discuss with the transport and finance ministries the possibility of lowering aviation fuel tax for domestic flights to help lessen the burden of airline operators who are currently paying the tax for their passengers. The fuel cost, he added, represents 40-50% of total airline costs. Pipat added that the demand for airport slots is another problem that needs immediate attention, especially at Suvarnabhumi, Don Muang, Phuket and Chiang Mai, which have clustered flights all year long. “We are planning to talk to airlines in an attempt to persuade them to disperse their flights to less crowded airports,” he said. <br/>