A video posted by traveller Prashanth Shankara is bringing a lot of focus on an expensive and little-known transit rule in El Salvador that is catching Indian flyers off guard, and also raising questions about why such a not so familiar fee has been introduced in the country.
“Do not travel to El Salvador,” says Shankara in the video. In the now widely shared Instagram video, Shankara recounts his experience while trying to check in for a flight with Avianca.
What does Shankara explain in the video?
“If you are an Indian citizen, do not travel to El Salvador. I just tried to check into my flight with Avianca to El Salvador. And apparently El Salvador charges a fee of $1,130 just for Indian citizens just to transit through the country,” Shankara stated.
“I think it’s because of all the illegal immigration that’s been going on to El Salvador from India.But still, $1,130 for regular travelers is just insane,” he explained
A steep fee for transit passengers
El Salvador has introduced what it calls an “Airport Improvement Fee” for passengers from India and several African nations in 2023.
The charge applies even if passengers are only transiting through Monsenor Oscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdamez International Airport, also known as El Salvador International Airport.
Under the rule, affected passengers must pay $1,000 plus a 13 percent tax, bringing the total to $1,130 per person. The fee is collected directly by airlines.
Why the fee has been introduced
When it was introduced in 2023, authorities said that the “Airport Improvement Fee” is meant to fund infrastructure upgrades and improve services at the country’s main international airport.
The official announcement stated that this is linked to increased utilisation of El Salvador’s primary international airport, with funds set to be directed towards enhancing facilities and providing what officials describe as a “first-class service to all users.”
At the same time, travellers like Shankara have pointed to a different context, adding that the measure may also be tied to concerns around illegal migration routes, even as the government frames it as an infrastructure-driven policy. The fee came into effect on October 2023, adding a significant cost burden for passengers who are only passing through the country.
Full list of affected nationalities
The policy targets passport holders from India and a wide range of African countries. These include:
Angola, Algeria, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Comoros, Cote d’Ivoire, Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, India, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Mauritius, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Western Sahara, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Somaliland, Republic of South Africa, Sudan, South Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tunisia, Togo, Uganda, Djibouti, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Travellers from these countries are required to pay the fee when transiting through the airport, regardless of the duration of their stop.