Critics brand Iran’s €10 airport fee profiteering
The Iranian government has introduced a new €10 fee on international flights from Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran leading to allegations of government profiteering.
Saeed Chalandari, CEO of Imam Khomeini Airport City, estimated that the newly imposed fee could generate up to twenty trillion rials (over 33 million dollars). Chalandari defended the move as a step towards implementing Iran's Seventh Development Plan, insisting that it is common practice in airports across the world.
The fee targets travelers over the age of two. Hormatollah Rafiei, head of the Association of Iranian Travel Agencies condemned the latest attempt at revenue generation, calling it “reaching into people’s pockets.” He accused the government of enabling "systematic extortion" in the travel industry, warning that this will only empower airlines and travel agencies to raise prices, further burdening Iranian travelers.
“This decision is opening the door to even more profiteering in the tourism sector,” Rafiei noted, pointing out that in addition to this new charge, Iranians are already paying departure taxes, airport fees, and inflated ticket prices.
It is not the first time Iranians have been forced to contend with excessive travel fees as a pipeline of funds. In 2019, the Iranian Parliament imposed a departure tax meaning citizens would pay 5,200,000 rials ($9) for their first trip abroad, and between 7,800,000 ($13) and over ten million rials ($16) for subsequent trips.
The government's defenders argue that these fees are necessary for development, with Chalandari comparing them to charges imposed in airports across Europe amid Iran’s crumbling infrastructure, inefficient bureaucracy, and rampant corruption.
Social media platforms have become the battleground for a public response. Many Iranians mockingly referred to the fee as "forced payment," highlighting the absurdity of funding "development" in a country where mismanagement has brought nearly all aspects of life to a standstill. One frustrated user on X remarked, “Who doesn’t know there’s no development?” Another sarcastically commented, "Soon enough, they’ll pass a law requiring everyone traveling abroad to bring gifts for parliament members."
The Iranian government’s attempt to draw parallels with practices at airports in countries like Turkey or Saudi Arabia rings hollow for many. "Exactly which development are they talking about?" asked one social media user, alluding to the country's lack of progress in providing basic services.
This new fee comes at a time when travel for most Iranians is already a luxury as inflation and unemployment skyrocket and the currency’s value continues to plummet. One in three Iranians now live below the poverty line, meaning many of those who travel are among the country's wealthy elite.
Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism recently reported that over 438,000 Iranians entered Turkey as tourists in the first two months of 2024, where they can enter visa free. According to GlobalData’s 2023 Travel & Tourism in Iran report, the most popular destinations for Iranians include Turkey, the UAE, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia.
But traveling abroad is increasingly unaffordable for tens of millions of Iranians, many of whom have taken to social media to call this €10 fee “the final straw” amid the worst economic times since the founding of the Islamic Republic.
