Bhogapuram Airport to Levy UDF Charges on Passengers

Visakhapatnam: Passengers flying to and from the upcoming Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram near Visakhapatnam will have to pay a User Development Fee (UDF) once the airport begins commercial operations, following directions issued by the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA).

Airport operator GMR Visakhapatnam International Airport Limited (GVIAL) informed stock exchanges that the UDF will be applicable to both departing and arriving passengers using the new airport.

Under the approved tariff, departing domestic passengers will pay ₹835 per passenger, while departing international passengers will be charged ₹1,255. For arriving passengers, the UDF has been fixed at ₹355 for domestic travellers and ₹545 for international travellers.

The UDF is levied to help fund the development, operation, maintenance, and modernization of airport infrastructure and passenger facilities.

UDF (User Development Fee)

UDF (User Development Fee) is a fee charged to passengers by some airports to help fund the development, expansion, modernization, and maintenance of airport infrastructure.

The fee may be used for projects such as:

Building or expanding terminals

Improving runways and taxiways

Upgrading security systems

Enhancing passenger facilities

A few key points:

It is usually included in the price of your airline ticket, so you often don't pay it separately at the airport.

The amount varies depending on the airport, whether you're flying domestically or internationally, and the regulations in that country.

Not every airport charges a UDF.

For example, if your ticket breakdown shows:

Base fare

Taxes

UDF

Other airport charges

The UDF is simply the airport's development fee collected as part of your ticket price.