Air travel to get costlier from Sept 1 after govt hikes aviation security fee

Air passengers will have to pay Rs 10 more for travel starting September 1 as the Ministry of Civil Aviation has decided to revise the aviation security fee (ASF) for domestic and international passengers.

According to officials, the ASF for domestic flyers will be increased by Rs 10 to Rs 160 while the international passengers will have to pay $5.2 instead of the current $4.85.

This fee could vary by Rs 2-3 depending on the guidelines of different airlines and the number of craft in their fleet. For instance, the fee on an Indigo ticket that was Rs 177,  will now be Rs 189. This means an Indigo passenger will now have to pay Rs 12 more.

ASF or passenger security fees (PSF) is the security component of the passenger service fee. The fee has been increased in view of the rise in the cost of security at airports and enhanced security deployment requirements. The last hike was in 2019 when the fees were increased by Rs 20 to Rs 150 from Rs 130.