By Susana Lima

The contract between the Home Office and Population and the U.S. Company Securiport, was approved last December by the Congress of Honduras to implement a security tax of $ 34, which will be divided into $ 17 going out and $ 17 going into the country  in the airline tickests.

The security service fee shall be paid by each passenger to fly in and out of Honduras, the airlines will have to deposit the proceeds of their aircraft to a special account.

According to Airports of Honduras info, more than 800,000 passengers travel through the country's four international airports each year.

It is estimated that annual revenue amounts $ 27 million thanks to the $ 34 fee that travelers will have to pay to enter or leave each of these airports, which multiplied by ten years of the contract will generate $ 270 million in total profits, although with the influx of migrants in and out of the country, the figure will probably be higher.

The contract between Securiport and the Home Office and Population includes the installation of advanced biometric passengers’ registration system as the Ultrascan, which prints the fingerprint of the passengers by means of ultrasound.

Customs will also receive Securiport informatics and video equipment to control the migration movement.

The agreement agrees that within two years, the company must invest 31.6 million dollars in the installation of surveillance equipment.

The Honduran Congress of Private Enterprise (Cohep) denounced the imposition of this tax since this represent an increase in the airlines’ operating expenses, which extend their administrative structure to make use of it.

The increase could be higher than $ 34, since it will be already included in the ticket that passengers purchase, companies could include receipts for expenses generated by the new measure.