Flying from Bhogapuram international airport is likely to be a costly affair, thanks to the fixing of a “hefty” User Development Fee (UDF) for both arrivals and departures. The UDF to be collected at Bhogapuram airport is more than that at airports in New Delhi, Hyderabad and other places.

There is no UDF for arriving passengers at many airports, and it is also very nominal at others, according to representatives of air travellers’ associations. There is currently no UDF at Visakhapatnam airport, which will stop operations soon once the new airport at Bhogapuram in Vizianagaram district is built. Travellers from Bhogapuram will have to bear both the transport charges to reach the airport and the UDF once the new airport begins operations.

Recently, the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (AERA) has allowed the GMR group to collect ₹835 UDF for domestic flyers from the Bhogapuram airport. The fee will be ₹355 for passengers who arrive at the airport from different places. The UDF is ₹1,255 for international passengers and ₹545 for arriving travellers. The GMR group, which operates the Shamshabad airport (Hyderabad), collects ₹750 for embarking domestic passengers, and the UDF is ₹1,500 for international travellers. There is no UDF for both domestic and international arriving passengers at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport of Shamshabad.

The group, which also operates the New Delhi airport, collects ₹129 for departing domestic passengers, and arriving passengers have to pay ₹56 only; the fee is ₹650 for international travellers and the UDF is ₹275 for arrivals. A spokesperson of the GMR group declined to comment on the huge variation in collection of UDF in airports operated by the same group. The spokesperson said the collection of UDF was based on the recommendations of AERA.

Speaking to The Hindu, former Vice Chancellor of Ambedkar University and former President of Confederation of Andhra Pradesh Consumers Organisations Hanumanthu Lajapathirai said the happiness of having a new airport in North Andhra looked short-lived with the fixing of hefty UDF at Bhogapuram airport. “AERA should not allow airport operators to collect UDF even for arriving passengers since they don’t spend much time in the airport,” said Mr. Lajapathirai.

The Andhra Pradesh Air Travellers Association Vice President Oruganti Naresh Kumar and Vizianagaram Chamber of Commerce President Kapuganti Srinivas requested the Ministry of Civil Aviation to reduce the UDF at Bhogapuram airport since many travellers are from backward areas of the region. “The government should extend financial assistance to airport operator if there is no viability immediately. So that the group can consider reduction of charges,” said Mr. Srinivas.

Telugu Shakti President B.V. Ram said his association, working on issues of people of AP, would submit representations to the Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu and officials of AERA in New Delhi very shortly.