Delhi, Mumbai flyers, be ready to pay 22 times higher user fee

Passengers travelling from Delhi and Mumbai airports will have to pay higher user charges, which are part of the airline tickets, likely to be 22 times more, according to a media report on Monday (December 1).

According to a report in Economic Times, the big hike comes after an order from Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) that deals with disputes relating to telecom and airport regulations. TDSAT has changed the way airport tariffs are calculated for the period between 2009 and 2014.

What TDSAT order said

As per TDSAT’s order, Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) and Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport owe more than Rs 50,000 crore in dues for the 2009-2014 period. However, the order has been challenged in the Supreme Court by the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA), Indian and foreign airlines.

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As per the media report, these dues will be collected from passenger fees, landing and parking charges, which are likely to make air tickets expensive.

At Delhi airport, the user development fee (UDF) may rise to Rs 1,261 from Rs 129 for domestic passengers. For international passengers, the fee is likely to increase to Rs 6,356 from Rs 650. At Mumbai airport, domestic passengers may have to pay Rs 3,856 from Rs 175, and international passengers Rs 13,495 from Rs 615, people aware of the development said, as per the report.

“Irrespective of the merits of the order, passengers shouldn’t become victims of protracted legal battles between airports and airlines,” a government official was quoted as saying in the report. “This will be a body blow to passengers as overnight, there will be a massive ticket price increase. Airports are natural monopolies and airlines will have no other option but to pass on the charges to passengers.”