Hyderabad Airport UDF Makes Flights Costlier
Hyderabad: Air travel from Hyderabad airport, officially known as Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, has become the costliest among major metro cities in India due to the highest User Development Fee. Data presented by the Ministry of Civil Aviation in the Rajya Sabha shows that passengers flying from Hyderabad pay the highest UDF in the country.
Centre data shows highest User Development Fee at RGIA
Passengers departing on domestic flights from Hyderabad pay Rs 750 as UDF. Meanwhile, for international departures, the fee stands at Rs 1,500 per passenger. In comparison, Kempegowda International Airport collects Rs 550 for domestic departures. However, its international UDF is the same as Hyderabad.
At Indira Gandhi International Airport, domestic passengers pay Rs 129 for embarking and Rs 56 for disembarking. International travellers there pay Rs 650 and Rs 275 respectively. Airports in Mumbai also levy lower fees compared to Hyderabad. Therefore, departures from Hyderabad are now more expensive than from other major metro hubs.
Sharp rise in UDF collections over four years
According to the Airports Authority of India, the UDF is included in airfare and later transferred to the airport operator. Greenfield airports such as Hyderabad and Bengaluru use these charges to recover infrastructure investment and address financial viability gaps.
Over the past four years, travellers departing from Hyderabad have collectively contributed nearly Rs 2,500 crore in UDF payments. Official figures show a sharp rise in collections. The amount increased from Rs 80 crore in 2020–21 to more than Rs 1,000 crore in 2024–25.
Domestic UDF rose from Rs 281 per passenger in 2020–21 to Rs 750 at present. Similarly, for international travel, the charge increased from Rs 393 to Rs 1,500 during the same period. The UDF is determined by the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India. Due to the highest UDF, departure from Hyderabad airport has become more expensive than from other major metro airports in India.
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