The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has asked the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to explain why the Authority has levied Rs 20 entry fee upon select individuals entering Benazir Bhutto International Airport, Islamabad. The CCP has taken notice of this practice at the airport under the drive to protect the general masses from paying such fees which is directly hurting the visitors at the airport.
It has been observed that the general public is paying Rs 20 as entry fee on the directive of the CAA, which needs to be probed. On the other hand, some government departments seemed to be exempted from the fee, reflecting discriminatory treatment with the general public. The CCP initiative clearly reflects that the commission is taking actions wherever general consumers have been affected by different actions.
According to an announcement of the CCP here on Saturday, upon investigation, the CCP discovered that the entry fee is levied on all persons entering the airport, except for ticketed passengers and their drivers. Certain government officials and children also appear to be exempted from paying the fee. However, CAA's new policy has not been publicised, nor has it been clearly implemented. Concerned that such conduct may amount to abuse of dominant position in violation of the Competition Act, 2010, the CCP wrote a letter seeking information and clarification regarding this recently observed policy, to determine among other things whether the CAA is providing an additional service or facility in lieu of the fee, whether the CAA is charging a similar fee at other airports, and who exactly is exempted from paying the fee.
Importantly, the CCP inquired about the primary objective of imposing the fee, and whether CAA has achieved that objective. The CCP had requested that CAA respond to its query by October 18, 2010. To date, however, no response from CAA had been forthcoming. The CCP has sent a reminder, urging CAA to reply to its query.