Flying out of non-metro airports to get costlier

New Delhi: Air travel is set to become expensive as the government has decided to levy a user development fee (UDF) on flyers at many non-metro airports. Jaipur airport will soon become the first non-metro airport to charge the levy that could be as high as Rs 1,000 on international passengers and Rs 150 on local fliers.
Eight other non-metro airports, including Ahmedabad, Trichi and Varanasi, are preparing to impose this levy, a senior government official told ET.
“The minister (civil aviation minister Praful Patel) has approved a proposal about levy of development fee at Jaipur airport,” the official, who did not wish to be named, said.
Nearly one lakh international passengers flew out of Jaipur airport during April-August 2009. The number of domestic passengers during the same period stood at 4.8 lakh. The levy could fetch around Rs 50 crore from the airport annually.
An AAI official, who also did not wish to be named, confirmed the move but said the agency was yet to receive official communication from the ministry.
The move to impose UDF has been prompted by the fact that the agency is confronted with a revenue shortfall of nearly Rs 5,400 crore for airport development planned in the Eleventh Five Year plan, ending March 2012.
10/11/09 Nirbhay Kumar/Economic Times

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Categories: Airports Nov 2009, Indian Aviation- In General Nov 2009