Delhi airport to levy entry fee on commercial vehicles at T1

Commercial vehicles will now have to pay a fee of Rs 150 every time they enter the arrival area of the Delhi airport's domestic terminal. The move by the airport operator is to curb overcrowding of vehicles as well as to tackle the menace of touts. The entry fee of Rs 150 has been introduced from Wednesday for all commercial vehicles entering the forecourt area of the domestic terminal (T1), GMR said in a release on Thursday.

A GMR-led consortium is running the Delhi International Airport (P) Ltd -- the operator of the aerodrome in the national capital. "DIAL has been witnessing severe congestion at the arrival area of Terminal 1 due to unauthorised parking and long waiting time by commercial vehicles," the release said.

The charge is not a parking charge but deterrence for unauthorised parking. Such practice is prevalent in many airports across India and globally, it added. It would be applicable for commercial vehicles entering the arrival forecourt area of the Terminal 1 (T1 C) of the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport. DIAL has proposed to regulate and decongest the forecourt area to prevent unauthorised parking for long periods which is causing inconvenience to passengers and users at large, the release said.

Apart from the entry fee, commercial taxis would be towed away or have their tyres clamped if they exceed the time limit of eight minutes allowed at the terminal.

Commercial vehicles are charged at several airports including Terminal 3 of the Delhi airport and the exercise has resulted in significant reduction in touting and congestions at the airport arrival forecourt areas, the release said.