By Ali Imran
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) has raised cargo handling charges across all airports in the country for the first time in five years, media reported on Wednesday.
The revised rates came into effect on July 1, according to an official notification issued in the wee hours of Wednesday.
Under the new tariff schedule, the air cargo charges for transporting pet birds have been raised by 50%. The fee has jumped from Rs200 to Rs300 per kilogramme.
Similarly, cargo charges on betel leaves, a commonly shipped item, have doubled to Rs70 per kilogramme.
General cargo rates have also been increased by 25%, moving from Rs100 to Rs125 per kilogramme.
In addition to pet birds, the air cargo charges revised list covers air freight fees for pets like cats and dogs, as well as for miscellaneous items categorised as general cargo. It may be noted that the federal government increased petrol prices for the next fortnight, pushing the petrol price up by Rs8.36 per litre.
According to a notification issued by the Pakistan Ministry of Finance, the petrol price had been increased by Rs14.80 per litre, bringing the new petrol price to Rs266.89 per litre. Similarly, the price of high-speed diesel had been raised by Rs10.39 per litre, with the new rate set at Rs272.98 per litre in Pakistan.
