Rise in user fees at Hyderabad airport okayed

Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) here has got clearance from the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) to increase the user development fee (UDF) levied on all outbound passengers.

GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL), developer and operator of the airport, at Shamshabad, will now collect Rs 430 from domestic outbound travellers and Rs 1,700 from international outbound travellers as UDF, effective November 1. Earlier, it collected Rs 375 from each domestic passenger and Rs 1,000 for international ones (inclusive of service tax).

AERA, which has a mandate to regulate rates for aeronautical services, determine other airport charges and monitor performance standards, allowed the rise on representations by GHIAL. UDF is to be used for development, management, maintenance, operation and expansion of facilities at the airport.

The airport was commissioned in March 2008, with an initial annual capacity of 12 million passengers and 100,000 tonnes of cargo handling. The project has the flexibility to increase capacity to accommodate 40 million passengers per annum and would be developed in a phased manner.

GHIAL, which was incorporated to design, finance, build, operate and maintain a new world-class airport at Shamshabad in the city’s suburbs, is a joint venture company promoted by the GMR Group with 63 per cent stake, in partnership with the Government of India (13 per cent), Government of Andhra Pradesh (13 per cent) and Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (11 per cent).