The UK’s travel advice lists a US$20 security fee at Banjul International Airport, payable on arrival and departure, with exemptions for transit passengers and children aged one or under. Separately, Gambian lawyer Ousman F. M’Bai says he has brought a High Court challenge to the fee scheme. His announcement puts the authority to collect the charge and the handling of its proceeds in dispute. A dated order or a new instruction from the authorities would show what changes for passengers.
Banjul passenger fee and exemptions in UK travel guidance. Check your itinerary with the airline.
What to budget for the journey
The UK advisory tells travellers where to pay and lists the currencies accepted. It is guidance for people travelling on a full British citizen passport. Gambian passengers and holders of other passports should check which instructions apply to them with the airline or the airport. The advisory’s exemptions should be read as stated. Someone leaving the airport during a stopover or travelling on separate tickets should confirm how the authority classifies the journey before relying on the transit exemption.
At a marked kiosk, ask for a receipt showing the charge, amount and currency. Keep it with the e-ticket receipt. For a return journey, the advisory’s US$20 on arrival and US$20 on departure would amount to US$40 if the charge applies both ways. That arithmetic does not include anything already paid for a different service. Budgeting for the two crossings is different from deciding whether two charges on one leg cover the same service.
How to check a charge that appears twice
A ticket total may include airfare, carrier surcharges and several charges collected for other parties. The word “security” is too broad to establish that two items are identical. A useful comparison records the airport, travel date and direction, the code or label on the ticket, and the collector named on the kiosk receipt. Ask the airline what the ticket line represents and ask the airport which charge the kiosk collected. If both documents identify the same levy for the same leg, those details give the responsible authority something it can check.
A card statement can help match a payment to a date. An itemised receipt does more because it tells the reader what the payment was for. An online booking display can also change between the first price and the final receipt. Keep the final document and redact booking references, passport details and payment identifiers if you share it.
What the lawyer says he asked the court to examine
On 5 November 2026, The Fatu Network reported M’Bai’s statement that he had begun proceedings after sending a pre-action letter. According to the account, he questions the legal authority for imposing and collecting the fee, the procurement and extension of the contract, the handling of revenue and compensation payments, and whether authorities can withhold travel documents solely because the fee has not been paid. M’Bai said the government did not give a substantive response to his pre-action letter.
The published report does not give the case number or reproduce a court order. A filed application would identify the parties, the grounds and the relief sought. An interim order could affect collection pending a hearing if the court issued one. A final judgment would address the issues the court actually decided. Those records carry different consequences. The reported commencement of proceedings gives the public a reason to look for them. It does not establish their contents.
A separate access-to-information dispute reported by Askani Gambia concerns requests for documents. Access proceedings can clarify what information the public may obtain. They do not supply a ruling on the authority to collect the charge. The file, dates and responsible body should be stated independently whenever reporting refers to either dispute.
What a campaign pledge tells travellers
Gambiana reported that Coalition 2026 candidate Talib Ahmed Bensouda pledged to abolish the airport fee if elected. The pledge is part of the public debate over the cost of travel. A government decision and an instruction to the collecting authority would be the practical records for passengers if the policy changed. A new notice should show when it takes effect and whether it applies to both directions and all passenger categories.
There is also a separate history of official scrutiny. The National Audit Office published a management letter in 2022. A 2026 parliamentary committee recommendation to review the contract and consider possible termination was subsequently reported. A recommendation identifies an action proposed to government. For a change to the agreement, the records to look for are the government’s response and the legal or administrative instrument implementing it.
The operating questions behind the debate
Setting the amount, selecting a collection point, issuing receipts and transferring the money are ordinary responsibilities in an airport programme. The Banjul dispute asks whether those responsibilities were properly authorised and carried out. The airport’s passenger instructions, the contract, the public accounts and the court file answer different parts of that question. Securiport’s country page gives the company’s account of its role. The audit records how the money was handled during the period it examined. The court challenge raises a separate question about the authority to collect it.
A traveller can act on this information today by confirming the amount and any exemption for their route and asking for a receipt. A reporter can check the court case number, the exact relief requested and any order that affects collection. Part Two follows the audit record from the contract award to the disputed arrears and the collection accounts.
Commissioned analysis.
