AERA clears levy of development fee at Delhi airport
16 Nov 2011
New Delhi: The Airport Economic Regulatory Authority has cleared the way for collection of airport development fee (ADF) at the Delhi international airport, seven months after the Delhi High Court had stayed levy of the charge from 1 June. The levy is applicable on outbound passengers.
Likely to start from 1 December, the airport will charge Rs1,300 for international flyers and Rs200 for domestic passengers.
The first stage of ADF collection will continue till May 2013.
Once ADF collection begins passengers who have bought tickets earlier will have to pay in the extra amount. It is anticipated that long queues are going to result at check-in counters.
Delhi International Airport (P) Limited (DIAL), which had been collecting airport development fee (ADF) since March 2009, had been allowed to collect it for a period of 36 months.
"AERA has only extended that period for an additional 18 months. DIAL is facing a funding gap of Rs1,931.27 crore of which Rs1,230.27 crore is being expected to be collected in stage 1. For Stage 2, the balance gap of Rs701 crore arising due to costs not incurred by DIAL as on March 30, 2010 (since incurred by DIAL), has been allowed to be recovered through ADF from June 2013 to February 2014," said a DIAL spokesperson.