USER FEE FOR INTERNATIONAL PASSENGERS

USER FEE FOR INTERNATIONAL PASSENGERS

The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) has permitted an adhoc user development fee of Rs755 on every International passenger flying out of the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport for a period of 10 years.The fee will be applicable with effect from the of commissoning of new international terminal building,the AERA said in an order issued first week of May2010.The Airports Authority of India (AAI) that operates the airport had sought the approval of AERA to begin levying the airport tax or user development fee for a period of either 10 or 15 years on all passengers departing from the airport.
The AAI submitted that the levy of fee is imperative to make the airport project viable. Besides this, the AAI had also demanted that the levy should be coincided with the opening of the new international terminal building. AERA has rejected the AAI demanded to levy fee on domestic passeengers.
The move to levy user fee from foreign- bound passengers at the International airport has sparked strong protests from various quarters, including the local M.P and former union Minister Shashi Tharoor said this could not be justified as the airpor was in public sector one.

Prof. John Kurakar