Flying from Delhi? Now pay Rs 200 development fee!

Passengers flying out of Delhi airport from December 1 would have to pay Rs 200 each for domestic travel and Rs 1,300 to go abroad as development fee.

In an order, the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority has fixed these rates to be charged by the Delhi Internal Airport Limited with effect from December 1 for 18 months till May 2013 to help it bridge a funding gap of Rs 1,230.27 crore (Rs 12.30 billion).

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The collection of development fee by DIAL and Mumbai operator MIAL was barred by the Supreme Court in April this year till the AERA determined the rate.

The apex court had also ordered that the DF collected would be credited to the Airports Authority of India and utilised for further development of airport infrastructure.

Till then, the Mumbai airport used to collect Rs 100 from domestic passengers and Rs 600 from an international one, while Delhi airport was collecting Rs 200 from a domestic passenger and Rs 1,300 from an international passenger.

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With the AERA now determining the DF rate for DIAL, official sources said the regulator would now on review the monthly collections on the basis of the audited figures of DIAL and the AAI and take appropriate decisions in this regard.

The latest AERA order would enable the Delhi airport to levy charges in line with the Supreme Court's direction that the DF has to be decided by the competent authority, in this case the regulator, the sources said.

The AERA's decision came after it received and reviewed all the stakeholders' comments on the issue, they said.