Passenger-related Airport Charges
24 March 2025
When it comes to airport tariffs, charges, and taxes, they can be divided between airlines and passengers, as well as between airside and landside costs. Passenger-related airport charges cover various cost components that ultimately influence flight ticket prices directly. Airlines pass these costs on to passengers as part of the ticket price and then transfer them to the respective airports. Essentially, these charges function as transit costs within the financial accounting of airlines.
In today's analysis, I will examine the different structures of passenger-related airport charges. For this purpose, I have chosen Austria’s six commercial airports as a starting point and compared them with neighbouring airports, as well as airports in Croatia and Serbia. In total, 20 airports of various sizes, ranging from regional and medium-sized airports to large and mega airports, have been analyzed in this context.
The evaluation is based on a hypothetical flight from each of these airports to London, UK. All charges presented apply to an adult passenger departing locally, without considering subsidies, incentives, or other discounts.
In addition to airport-related charges, which the respective airport primarily determines, aviation tax also plays a crucial role in passenger-related costs. Therefore, the cost components in the graph are categorized into airport charges and aviation tax.
The graph clearly illustrates the significant variations in charges for locally departing passengers across different airports. Total costs range from approximately EUR 20 to EUR 60, highlighting a considerable discrepancy. For instance, passenger-related costs at Nuremberg Airport (NUE), Germany, amount to only one-third of those at Linz Airport (LNZ), Austria.
Let’s take a closer look at the reasons behind these substantial differences. Most passenger-related airport charges can be further broken down into smaller cost segments. The most common ones include Passenger Service Charges, PRM (Passengers with Reduced Mobility) fees, Infrastructure Service Charges, Security Charges, Noise Charges, and Take-Off Charges. Passenger Service Charges make up the largest portion of total fees and cover the use of terminal buildings, including their facilities and installations. PRM fees are imposed to finance assistance services for disabled passengers and those with reduced mobility.
Security Charges, in particular, vary significantly between airports and countries. For example, the highest Security Charges in this analysis are EUR 22.14 in Linz, EUR 21.99 in Innsbruck (INN), and EUR 19.77 in Graz (GRZ). In contrast, Memmingen (FMM)charges only EUR 0.91, while Bratislava (BTS), Prague (PRG), and Nuremberg do not impose any Security Charges at all.
Aviation tax is a cost factor that is beyond the control of individual airports. It is levied by governments and impacts entire national markets equally. This analysis reveals that Germany imposes the highest aviation tax for flights to London, at EUR 15.53 per passenger. Austria follows with EUR 12.00, while Hungary (EUR 9.81) and Italy (EUR 7.00) impose slightly lower taxes. In contrast, Slovakia, Czechia, and Slovenia do not charge any aviation tax, making their airports more attractive for airlines from a cost perspective.
When considering only airport-related passenger charges (excluding aviation tax), Nuremberg and Memmingen emerge as the most cost-efficient airports. This is reflected in their primary airline customers, Ryanair and Wizz Air, both of which focus on cost-effective operations. Based on the graph below, it is clearly visible that Austrian airports belong to the more expensive ones when it comes to passenger-related airport charges as well as aviation tax.
By presenting passenger-related airport charges alongside aviation tax, this analysis highlights the key cost elements that directly impact flight ticket pricing and, consequently, competition between airports. With flight ticket prices offered, e.g., EUR 29.99, it is clearly visible that in most cases, not even passenger-related airport charges are covered, and therefore, such cheap offers are used as pure marketing activities. While airport charges vary depending on infrastructure and operational decisions, aviation tax is a government-regulated factor that can either promote or hinder passenger growth in a given market.
Photo Credit: tartila
