#Greece:: New #airport tax to ensure assistance for handicapped passengers

Yet another airport departure tax. But this time for a good cause as it is for passengers travelling with special needs. The Euro20cents levy will ensure departing passengers from a Greek airport have reliable qualified support from check in to boarding an aircraft. The 20c charge will be included in the ticket price to ensure there is qualified special assistance for handling handicapped pax in wheelchairs and those with other types of mobility problems. The fee will apply to all Greek airports managed publicly.

The fee will be collected by the airlines and passed on to the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA). In turn HCAA will compensate those designated companies offering ground assistance for any passenger who needs such support.  

The tax will be applied to all tickets except children under the age of two; passengers in transit and crew members.

As we are in the early days of a new Greek government under the staunch left wing party Syriza, who knows if and when this already approved departure tax will be introduced. It seems like a good idea to me. And a fair one at that.  It does however seem extraordinary that such service has not been available on a committed basis previously?