Security charge
In order to guarantee the highest security level for the passengers and the airport personnel the airport must observe a number of international aviation security requirements.
Until 1 January 2012 the security function at Riga International Airport was financed from the state budget which means that the security services were paid for by all the taxpayers in Latvia, including those who seldom or never travel by air. As the Cabinet of Ministers of Latvia has adopted a decision not to finance the security at the airport with the state budget funds any more, new Cabinet Regulation No 823 was issued „On the charges for security and rescue measures carried out on the airfield”. The new Regulation stipulates that the security charge from now on will be collected from passengers.
The security charge must be paid only by the passengers departing from Riga International Airport. The new procedure enters into force as of 1 January 2012. This means that those passengers who have bought their air tickets by 31 December 2011 are released from the security charge.
What services are covered by the security charge?
The security charge is collected for the passenger, their hold and carry-on baggage security screening, the airport security and crisis management (including rescue operations) as well as for aircraft flight safety and civil aviation security supervision provided by the state agency "Civilās aviācijas aģentūra" .
How big is the charge and who must pay it?
The airlines must include this charge into the ticket price; however, the carrier RYANAIR did not agree to include the charge into its ticket price, therefore Riga Airport will collect the charge instead of the airline. Only the RYANAIRT passengers will have this additional inconvenience. The amount of the security charge for RYANAIR passengers is 7 euros*, payable by departing passengers before departure.
If the passenger pays the security charge via the airline, the amount of the charge is 6.5 euros or 4.57 lats.
if the airport collects the security charge, the amount of the charge is 7 euros or 4.92 lats. This amount is payable only by the RYANAIR passengers.
Must all the departing passengers pay the charge?
The security charge is not collected from transit and transfer passengers and those passengers who are under 2 years of age. Those passengers who have bought their air tickets by 31 December 2011 are also released from the security charge. In this case, the passenger at the security check must show the purchase date of the air ticket by presenting to the officer the printout of the ticket booking confirmation received from RYANAIR by e-mail.
Where can RYANAIR passengers pay the security charge?
Payment can be made by RYANAIR passengers as follows:
- while checking in at Riga Airport (by bank card);
- at the airline RYANAIR ticket office at Riga Airport (by cash or bank card);
- at the airport services office „Welcome to Riga!” (Arrivals Sector E - by cash or bank card).
- by mobile phones via the payment system Mobilly by texting RIX to number 1859
Will it be possible to pay the security charge on the Internet?
The administration of Riga International Airport is currently working on additional solutions to make the payment procedure easier, including the option to pay the charge on the Internet.
Will RYANAIR passengers have any other problems due to the fact that the carrier has not included the security charge into the ticket price?
In order to avoid delays the administration of Riga International Airport kindly requests RYANAIR passengers to arrive at the airport for checking in and payment of the security charge at least two and a half hours before the departure.
