Air travellers oppose proposal to hike UDF

Hyderabad
Nov. 3: The Air Travellers’ Association of India has opposed the proposal to increase the user development fee (UDF) at the Shamshabad airport. Representatives of travel agencies also have said air traffic will come down if the UDF is hiked further.
The GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL) wants to increase the UDF to Rs 2,800 from the current Rs 1,000 for international passengers and from Rs 375 to Rs 475 for domestic travellers. It has already submitted its proposal to the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) which is expected to take a final decision in a couple of months.
The president of the Air Travellers’ Association of India, Mr D. Varada Reddy, said the hike in UDF would be a big burden on passengers who already have a problem with the existing fee. “Compared to other airports, UDF charges are high in Shamshabad airport,” he said. “We have asked the AERA not to approve the hike proposal. Private developers are taking air passengers for a ride by abnormally increasing the UDF in the name
of providing quality infrastructure at airports,” Mr Reddy said. “We will oppose any hike in other airports such as Bengaluru, Mumbai and New Delhi,” he said. The association has asked all its chapters to start a signature campaign protesting the collection of UDF at airports.
Airlines are also planning to approach the AERA since they too are burdened with additional charges at airports. They fear that at this rate traffic will decline further causing huge losses to the aviation industry.
“Any hike in UDF will directly affect the business of the airlines which are already in deep financial trouble due to the hike in the aviation turbine fuel charge,” said a source in Air-India.