Armenia Considering Abolishing the "Air Tax"
14.01.2026,
12:43
Armenia is not ruling out the possibility of abolishing the "air tax."
YEREVAN, November 14. /ARKA/. Armenia is not ruling out the possibility of abolishing the "air tax."
"An analysis of the amount collected through the "air tax" and how these funds were used to develop the country's aviation sector is needed. After this, a calculation should be made in conjunction with the Ministry of Economy to determine whether it would be more feasible to abolish the "air tax" and offset these amounts by increasing tourist flows through cheaper air tickets," stated Babken Tunyan, Chairman of the Committee on Economic Affairs, during a meeting on Wednesday.
Armen Simonyan, Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure, reported that the annual amount collected through the "air tax" is approximately 15-16 billion drams, adding that an analysis of the effectiveness of using these funds for aviation development will be presented later.
The "air tax" has been in effect in Armenia for over 17 years and is a fixed rate of 10,000 drams (approximately $26), which is included in the price of air tickets. Since March 2009, all passengers departing Armenia (except children under 12, transit passengers, participants, disabled persons, and veterans of the Great Patriotic War, widows of those killed in the Great Patriotic War, National Heroes of Armenia, and Heroes of the Soviet Union) have been subject to the "air tax" when purchasing an air ticket.
Since 2014, to attract low-cost airlines, the tax was abolished for Gyumri's Shirak Airport. Since December 2019, amendments to the Law "On State Duties" have provided airlines opening new routes with tax breaks under the "air tax" for three years, with the possibility of a two-year extension. On December 14, 2026, the Committee on Economic Affairs of the National Assembly of Armenia approved amendments and additions to the Law on State Duties, allowing airlines that, for whatever reason, were unable to take advantage of the benefits to apply within one year of the amendments' entry into force and receive such benefits. The bill will be included on the agenda of the next parliamentary session.
"An analysis of the amount collected through the "air tax" and how these funds were used to develop the country's aviation sector is needed. After this, a calculation should be made in conjunction with the Ministry of Economy to determine whether it would be more feasible to abolish the "air tax" and offset these amounts by increasing tourist flows through cheaper air tickets," stated Babken Tunyan, Chairman of the Committee on Economic Affairs, during a meeting on Wednesday.
Armen Simonyan, Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure, reported that the annual amount collected through the "air tax" is approximately 15-16 billion drams, adding that an analysis of the effectiveness of using these funds for aviation development will be presented later.
The "air tax" has been in effect in Armenia for over 17 years and is a fixed rate of 10,000 drams (approximately $26), which is included in the price of air tickets. Since March 2009, all passengers departing Armenia (except children under 12, transit passengers, participants, disabled persons, and veterans of the Great Patriotic War, widows of those killed in the Great Patriotic War, National Heroes of Armenia, and Heroes of the Soviet Union) have been subject to the "air tax" when purchasing an air ticket.
Since 2014, to attract low-cost airlines, the tax was abolished for Gyumri's Shirak Airport. Since December 2019, amendments to the Law "On State Duties" have provided airlines opening new routes with tax breaks under the "air tax" for three years, with the possibility of a two-year extension. On December 14, 2026, the Committee on Economic Affairs of the National Assembly of Armenia approved amendments and additions to the Law on State Duties, allowing airlines that, for whatever reason, were unable to take advantage of the benefits to apply within one year of the amendments' entry into force and receive such benefits. The bill will be included on the agenda of the next parliamentary session.
