The Samoa Airport Authority says extra airport charges wrongly applied to arriving passengers have now been corrected, attributing the issue to a “human error” by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

SAA General Manager Tumanuvao Evile Falefatu made the comments during a special government programme posted on the official Facebook page, following concerns raised over the Z3 Aerodrome Facility Charge being added to both arrivals and departures.

“There’s a thing called human error by IATA, but thankfully it’s been fixed,” he said, adding that “even a palagi makes mistakes.”

The clarification comes after earlier reporting revealed that travellers were being charged more than $180 on return tickets, with the $100 levy applied across multiple legs, including arrivals, transfers and transit passengers, despite being approved as a departure charge.

Air New Zealand had flagged the issue in correspondence, raising concerns that booking systems were applying the tax beyond its intended scope. The airline has since indicated that affected passengers will be refunded.

Tumanuvao said the charge no longer applies to arriving passengers, but confirmed it still applies to transit and transfer passengers as they ultimately depart from Samoa.

He also thanked Prime Minister Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt for his leadership in implementing the charge.

“Every time you see Z3 on your ticket, you’ll remember Tumanuvao,” he said.

Turning to the leak of internal emails that exposed the issue, Tumanuvao said he was disappointed the correspondence had been made public, suggesting it was intended to damage him and the authority.

“It’s sad that people are leaking internal exchanges,” he said. “There’s a Judas among us. If it was you who leaked it, don’t do it again.”

The SAA had previously rejected the Samoa Observer's reporting on the issue as “incorrect and misleading,” maintaining the levy applied only to departing passengers.

In February, the cabinet approved a $15 increment on departure tax, making it $80 and added the additional Aerodrome Facility Charge of $100, which came into effect from 1 March.