Big Jolt For Flyers: Massive Delhi, Mumbai Airport Fee Hike To Hit Airfares Hard

Flight tickets from Delhi and Mumbai could soon get sharply costlier as user development fees (UDF) at India’s two busiest airports are proposed to jump multiple times over current levels. A tribunal order has recalibrated how tariffs are calculated for FY09–14, estimating under‑recovery of nearly Rs 50,000 crore, which may now be recovered from passengers through steep UDF hikes. For international flyers out of Mumbai, the UDF could rise from Rs 615 to over Rs 13,000, while Delhi’s domestic and international charges may also see massive increases. Government officials fear this could hit passenger growth, even as the order is challenged in the Supreme Court.