As flagged by One Mile At A Time, El Salvador has added a staggeringly high tariff it calls an “Airport Improvement Fee” for citizens of India and several African nations who are flying through El Salvador International Airport.
New “Airport Improvement Fee” Targets Citizens Of India, Africa Flying Via El Salvador International Airport
Passengers traveling with passports from a number of African and Indian nations now face a new fee of $1,000 per passenger, plus a 13% tax, for a total of $1,130 each, payable directly to the airline, when transiting (“pasajeros en tránsito”) Monseñor Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez International Airport (SAL), more commonly known as El Salvador International Airport.
This is being called an “Airport Improvement Fee” meant to “provide a first-class service to all users.”
The new fee exclusively impacts the following nationalities, including India and South Africa:
- Angola
- Algeria
- Benin
- Botswana
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cape Verde
- Cameroon
- Central African Republic
- Comoros
- Cote d’Ivoire
- Chad
- Egypt
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea – Bissau
- Equatorial Guinea
- India
- Kenya
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Libya
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mali
- Morocco
- Mauritius
- Mauritania
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Rwanda
- Republic of the Congo
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Western Sahara
- São Tomé and Príncipe
- Senegal
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- Somaliland
- Republic of South Africa
- Sudan
- South Sudan
- Swaziland
- Tanzania
- Tunisia
- Togo
- Uganda
- Djibouti
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Is El Salvador Doing The Bidding Of USA Or Simply Does Not Want These Visitors?
Under President Nayib Bukele, El Salvador has targeted gang members and cracked down on crime. It is also working more closely with US authorities to block pathways for migrants from the developing world to illegally enter the USA. Many have come to El Salvador and start thier overland journey there.
In this case, “transit” is being defined as not just those who travel from country A to country B via El Salvador, but all who transit (i.e. set foot in) the airport including arriving passengers to El Salvador.
But just as I was quizzed by US OFFICIALS inside San Salvador Airport, one has to wonder whether this staggering new tax is being levied at the behest of the US wanting to discourage the flow of people across the southern border.
One Mile At A Time also points out that that Brian Nichols, the United States Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, recently met with Bukele:
Had an excellent meeting with @nayibbukele. We discussed El Salvador’s support for the international mission in Haiti, efforts to promote foreign direct investment in El Salvador, bilateral cooperation on rule of law, and mutual efforts to address irregular migration. -BAN pic.twitter.com/cLcCOHYlAT
— Brian A. Nichols (@WHAAsstSecty) October 26, 2023
> Read More: Interrogated At El Salvador International Airport…By U.S. Federal Agents
CONCLUSION
El Salvador is adding a steep new tariff meant to discourage citizens form 56 African nations and India from flying via El Salvador. The new tariff is already in effect and amounts to a staggering $1,130 per passenger.
In one sense, is this policy all that much different from the US making citizens of many of the 57 nations above go through a much more burdensome and expensive process to obtain a visa to the US than citizens of more developed countries? On the other hand, this policy strikes me as a particularly punitive way of dealing with travelers deemed undesirable.
As expected from your snowflake friend from the other blog he called this fee “absurd”. El Salvador can do whatever they want and they are no banning anyone to visit the country. Their rules, their fees, your choice to visit or not. Latin America is a dump in terms of bad people traveling around trafficking all sorts of things so the government is simply trying to reduce crime which apparently this president has been very successful. BTW, why Africa? These are the countries where most of drug smuggling happens where drug dealers pay poor citizens of these countries to come to Latin America and bring back drugs. I applaud him.
lol. Drug smuggling into the USA is primarily from south and Central America. Be it cocaine or methamphetamines. Brazil is quite a big hub for drug smuggling as well.
Anything to fit your racist narrative
“ one has to wonder whether this staggering new tax is being levied at the behest of the US wanting to discourage the flow of people across the southern border.”
What have you observed that makes you think anyone in power here wants to stem the flow? The party currently in charge is hesitant to even mention it’s an issue.
Come on, Dave. How can there be a problem with Kamala in charge? Every time she flies to LA for a photo-op or fundraiser, rest assured that she does look out the aircraft windows toward the south to ensure all is well.
To the comments about drug money: do you really think a $1130 extra fee is going to discourage anyone standing to make millions from illegal drug smuggling? It’s the same mentality as thinking that criminals or terrorists don’t have the money to dress up and fly in first class. Therefore first class can have less security because they are paying for a better experience. They probbaly have more money available to them than you and me.
The reality is that upon reading this post from Ben last night I researched a bit the exact numbers of those from Africa who land in El Salvador and make their way by foot on the migration trail to the Mexican border. It’s a few thousand, with many of those being held in Mexico or never making it across to the U.S.. This is not exactly what I would call a massive flood of migrants. I think there are deeper reasons for it that also involve trafficking, money laundering, etc from these countries.
Let me add, that many of these people coming from Africa and India and using the land route into the U.S. via Mexico, are not exactly going to be deterred by $1,100. Many are spending well over $10K to be guided to the border as documented by many who have made the trip.
Not sure if the link will go through, but this article explains well as to what’s going on – https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12576219/On-board-Biden-Express-African-migrants-flight-Istanbul-Bogota.html
Well said. I wish I could say the same for the ignorant comments although AKG and Stuart raise some valid concerns.
Finally someone has the sense to implement a ban on these shithole countries. If they’d only listened to me back then!
What is happening is citizens from these countries are flying to El Salvador then flying to Mexico and other nearby countries so as to escape scrutiny as they make their way to the US and I think they have finally caught on with their game that has been going on for at least 2 years
An extended Salvadoran family I know moved here to escape violence towards women from the drug gangs. It must have been awful. They now operate a highly successful family restaurant that does not tolerate inappropriate clothing, language or behavior. Genuinely religious and conservative.
Knowing this, if this tax, or the other measures taken can protect the El Salvadorans I will not fault them. It is their country, their choice.
It seems pretty odd to see countries like Botswana, Seychelles on that list. I mean, both have GDP per capita higher than that of El Salvador and how many citizens from both countries have been apprehended in the southern border? It seems Bukele wants to score some points with Biden, deflecting the criticisms he’s been getting from Washington ever since he became El Salvador’s chief executive.
There’s probably some truth to that though I would not put it past the USA to actaully ask El Salvador to add this levy.
Do you honestly think that there’s any real possibility of that? Trusting a Central American country to keep quiet about orders from the USA could backfire spectacularly, with the fallout potentially costing a presidential election. That’s a lot to risk with little return.