This will pinch the pockets of the frequent fliers on the Mumbai-Delhi, as the Mumbai airport too will implement its hiked development fee on departures from May 1.
From May 15, you will have to pay around Rs500 more for each air ticket to Delhi.
On Wednesday, the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority decided to raise the landing, parking and other charges - user development fees (UDF) - at the Delhi airport by 345% from May 15. It will affect both incoming and outgoing domestic and international passengers.
This will pinch the pockets of the frequent fliers on the Mumbai-Delhi, as the Mumbai airport too will implement its hiked development fee on departures from May 1.
Among those who will be affected is Mahendra Gupta, a garment trader from Mulund. He travels twice a week to Delhi for work.
“Such a steep increase in the airfare is the direct result of the airport privatisation. It is high time that the government take immediate steps to stop such high-handedness of the private airport players,” Gupta said.
The Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) has been charging a development fee from passengers, but now the authority has allowed even the Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) to charge a development fee for departures to bridge the escalating cost of the Mumbai airport. This means per ticket cost from Mumbai will increase by Rs100 for domestic flights and Rs600 for international flights from May 1.
As per the order, the UDF for domestic travel from Delhi airport for passenger flying up to 500km would be Rs245 and an incoming one Rs207. Outgoing travellers flying more than 500km would pay Rs490 and an incoming passenger, including those from Mumbai, Rs414.
This means the aggregate ticket cost for a flight to Delhi from Mumbai will cost around Rs514, including the MIAL’s Rs100 development fee.
“The effect of such an increase will be seen in the next few weeks, as passengers, especially those going on vacation, would choose alternative mode of transport,” said Ajay Prakash, president of the Travel Agents Federation of India.
The GMR-controlled DIAL had been demanding a 774% increase in airport charges. DIAL claims that it loses around Rs2 crore a day as it has not been able to recover its cost.
“Considering that the charges were stagnant for the last decade, the revision is much below expectations. The current aero tariffs levied in Delhi are amongst the lowest in the world. Nevertheless this increase will be a significant step in stemming the losses,” said a spokesperson from GMR.
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