User Development Fee at Airports
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 5, 2016
User Development Fee (UDF) is one of the many fee and tax paid by air passengers. UDF is charged at various airports and the rate of UDF varies from airport to airport based on various factors. Delhi airport charges the highest UDF for domestic passengers while Hyderabad airport charges the highest UDF for international passengers.
Air Tickets have become off late become expensive on account of various taxes and fee. One such fee is the User Development Fee (UDF). It is charged at various airports for both arriving and departing passengers. Here is a short guide to the current UDF charges at various airports across India.
What is UDF?
User Development Fee (UDF) is levied at the Indian airports under Rule 89 of Aircraft Rules, 1937 as a measure to increase revenues of the airport operator. The UDF is levied to bridge any revenue shortfall so that the airport operator is able to get a fair rate of return on investment. The quantum of UDF varies from airport to airport. The rate of UDF at airports is determined by the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (AERA) for major airports and by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) for non-major airports.
Delhi is the only Airport that collects UDF from both arriving & departing passengers
Of all the airports, Delhi is the only airport that collects UDF for both arriving as well as departing passengers. All other airports collect UDF only for departing passengers. The approving authority for UDF at Delhi airport is the AERA. The UDF charges at Delhi airport are the following. Please note that Service Tax is applicable on these rates.
UDF at other Airports
As mentioned earlier, no other airport collects UDF for arriving passengers. The UDF charges at various airports excluding service tax for departing passengers are the following.
Featured Image sources: By Adrian Pingstone [Via Wikipedia Commons] & Boarding Pass