The first consignment of Irish humanitarian aid for Mozambique may face a landing fee of up to $6,000 when it arrives in the flood-stricken country tomorrow.
Concern, the agency bringing in much-needed supplies of food, water, shelter materials and medical supplies, is resisting the charge, which is being levied on all flights arriving at the airport in Beira, central Mozambique.
Concern could also face additional fees of up to $8,000 for each night the aircraft delivering the supplies spends at the airport.
The row could prove highly embarrassing if it results in aid money, including donations from the public, being diverted from the victims of Mozambique's flooding in order to pay local taxes.
Concern staff in the capital, Maputo, have raised the issue with the Irish and British embassies here and were hopeful last night that a solution could be found. However, agencies from other countries have already had to pay landing fees varying between $1,500 and $6,000 for each consignment of aid they have imported.
The problem has arisen because Beira airport is 25 per cent owned by a private company which is unwilling to waive the charges, regardless of the circumstances.
Beira is the nearest large airport to the Save river, where 300,000 people hit by the flooding have received little attention compared to those farther south.
Another Irish agency, GOAL, is bringing a 40-ton shipment of aid to Maputo airport tomorrow. Staff there said they did not expect that any charges would be levied at this airport.
Asked about the issue of landing charges, the Mozambican Foreign Minister said he had instructed the civil aviation authorities to provide more detailed information on the fees they were charging.
Dr Leonardo Simao told The Irish Times yesterday that companies involved in the management of airports were providing services and these would have to be paid for.
Heavy rain is predicted to start falling over much of Mozambique again today, although the threatened new cyclone is now thought unlikely to hit the coast.
Water levels in all the main flooded regions continued to fall over the weekend. At Xai-Xai, one of the worst-affected towns, the water level has dropped over four metres from its high point at the end of February.
As a result, the highly efficient helicopter crews of the South African defence forces are winding down their search-and-rescue missions for flood survivors stranded on roofs and trees.
"Most people in the areas we search do not want to be rescued any more," said a spokesman.
"They shoo away the helicopters. They feel they're not in danger any more and we feel the same."
On Saturday the South African crews rescued 2,000 people, but by Sunday that number had dropped to 138.
