Mumbai Airport had presented a proposal to increase the airport’s charges for use, commonly called the User Development Fee. Their premise was that they are spending a lot of money upgrading the airport. The regulator has only partly approved their proposals. So travel will get expensive, albeit slightly.

The AERA approved the UDF for Delhi Airport for the next four years, however, only partially. The new charges go into effect from May 16, 2025.

International passengers travelling in business and first class will have to pay marginally more than those in the economy and premium economy. International passengers in economy and premium economy will be charged a UDF of INR 615 for flying out from DEL and INR 270 for flying in. Those flying in business and first class will be charged INR 695 and INR 304 for flying out and in, respectively.

AERA said that from May 16 to March 31, 2029, domestic passengers departing and arriving in Mumbai will pay a UDF of INR 175 for flying out and INR 75 for flying in. The amount is INR 120 for departing passengers, which was levied only until August 2024.

A statement from AERA said,

The UDF for international passengers has been rationalised with a differential rate for economy and business class travellers. The UDF for the international departing passenger in economy class has been fixed at Rs 615 per pax and for international departing passenger in business class it will be Rs 695 per pax.

This adjustment aligns with the ‘User Pays’ principle and reflects the enhanced passenger experience and expanded facilities available and used by international travellers.

If you already have a ticket booked, you don’t have to worry, given that in the past no one has been made to collect the charges again, but then, we can’t say.

Flying out and flying into Mumbai will be expensive, compared to now, effective May 16, 2025. New charges will be imposed on arriving at Mumbai Airport, and flying out internationally will be much more expensive than right now. Premium cabins for international travel will get even more costly, but a sliver on the ticket cost.

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