MLA urges UP govt to cut user development fee at Jewar Airport

Jewar MLA Dhirendra Singh urges lower User Development Charges at Noida International Airport to boost competitiveness against Indira Gandhi Airport.

Jewar MLA Dhirendra Singh has flagged high User Development Charges (UDC) on flyers boarding or deboarding aircraft at Noida International Airport (NIA) in comparison to Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport and requested the aviation ministry and Uttar Pradesh chief secretary to lower the charges to help build passenger confidence.

The MLA said the high prices are concerning, as NIA has been envisioned as an alternative, modern, and accessible airport. (HT)

“I have written to the ministry of civil aviation and also to the Uttar Pradesh government so that this issue is taken up urgently by the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA), which has fixed the high UDF, inflating the ticket prices,” Singh told HT on Friday.

The MLA said on Wednesday, IndiGo released the schedule for its flights operating from NIA, and according to the ticket prices displayed, the airfare from Lucknow to Jewar is approximately ₹5,072, whereas flights from Lucknow to Delhi Airport are available between ₹3,600 and ₹4,300.

He said, according to the tariff structure at NIA, an international flyer is charged a UDC of ₹980 for departure and ₹420 for arrival. For the domestic flyer, the charges are ₹490 for departure and ₹210 for arrival. However, at IGI, the UDC for international flyers is ₹345 for arrival and ₹810 for departure, and for domestic flyers, the UDC is ₹56 and ₹129, respectively.

He said the Value Added Tax on Aviation Turbine Fuel in UP is merely 1%, whereas in Delhi it is approximately 25%. “Despite this significant tax advantage, if ticket prices at Jewar airport remain high, it would be against the interests of passengers,” Singh added.

There was no response from the NIA spokesperson when contacted. However, NIA nodal officer Shailendra Bhatia told HT that UDF generally remains high at a new airport and will later be reduced.

“These prices are not fixed, and UDF depends on the cost of development. The high fuel prices amid the West Asia conflict are affecting the ticket prices. The fares will be rationalised as and when normalcy is restored in fuel supply,” said Bhatia.