Soon, business class, peak-hour flyers may have to pay more at Delhi Airport
International business and first-class passengers at the Indira Gandhi International Airport would have to pay double the user development fee (UDF) compared to international economy and premium economy travellers.
Flying to and from the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) in New Delhi could soon become a little more expensive, at least for some passengers. The Delhi Airport has proposed a variable tariff structure according to the passenger's travel class and time.
Higher user development fee for premium flyers
According to the proposal, international business and first-class passengers would have to pay double the user development fee (UDF) compared to international economy and premium economy travellers.
CREDIT: BCCL
This would mean that an international passenger travelling in business class will pay Rs 570 as User Development Fee from April 2025〞double that of an economy or premium economy passenger, who will pay Rs 280, The Economic Times reported.
Increase in landing fees during peak hours
Similarly, domestic passengers will have to pay higher landing and parking fees during peak hours. According to Delhi Airport, peak hours are 5:00每8:55 AM and 5:00每8:55 PM.
Another proposal that could result in passengers shelling out a little extra is the increase in landing fees for narrow-body aircraft. Delhi Airport has proposed increasing the landing fee from ?187.88 per metric ton to ?300 per metric ton, which the carriers would eventually pass on to the flyers.
CREDIT: DELHI AIRPORT
Why the new proposals
The proposed changes, if approved, will come into effect in April of this year and will be in place for the next four financial years.
According to the ET report, the proposed changes are aimed at preventing charges from rising exponentially at the airport.
※The airport wants to spread out the charges so that the impact on a price-conscious economy passenger is lesser than someone who travels in business class. This will help to drive additional passengers, as aircraft with premium configurations carry less passengers,§ a person involved in the process told ET.
For more news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.
Bobins Abraham is the Assistant News Editor at Indiatimes. He has more than twelve years of experience in TV and digital journalism. An avid student of history and geopolitics, he is a conservationist and environmentalist at heart. He writes on environment, sustainability, human-animal conflict and more.
Read More