The government has collected MVR 1.7 billion in revenue through the Airport Development Fee (ADF) and Departure Tax in the current fiscal year.
According to the Finance Ministry, as of November 23, MVR 873.2 million was collected in ADF, and Departure Tax collection stood at MVR 847.9 million. This indicates a notable increase from the amounts collected during the same period last year, which were MVR 738 million in ADF and MVR 721.8 million in Departure Tax.
The imposition of the departure tax began in January 2022, following the abolition of the airport service charge on December 31, 2021. The tax applies to passengers departing from Maldives airports, exempting individuals with diplomatic immunity, transit passengers, and children under two.
The Airport Development Fee is applied to every passenger departing from Velana International Airport, including transit passengers. Exceptions to this fee are those with diplomatic immunity and transit passengers on a “direct transit” flight.
Effective January 1, 2022, the government adjusted the ADF charges, with domestic passengers paying USD 12, foreigners paying USD 30, business class passengers paying USD 60, first-class passengers paying USD 90, and private jet passengers paying USD 120. Departure Tax was also charged at these rates.
