Hyderabad: Air travel from Hyderabad airport which is officially known as Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) has become the costliest among the major metro cities in India.
As per the data presented by the Ministry of Civil Aviation in the Rajya Sabha, the passengers flying from RGIA are paying the highest User Development Fee (UDF) in the country.
UDF at Hyderabad airport
Passengers departing on domestic flights from Hyderabad pay Rs 750 as UDF. For international departures, the fee stands at Rs 1,500 per passenger.
In comparison, Kempegowda International Airport collects Rs 550 for domestic departures, while 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, while international travellers pay Rs 650 and Rs 275 respectively.
Airports in Mumbai also levy lower fees compared to Hyderabad.
Why the fee is charged
According to the Airports Authority of India, the UDF is included in airfare and 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 indicate a sharp increase in collections from Rs 80 crore in 2020–21 to more than Rs 1,000 crore in 2024–25.
Domestic UDF increased from Rs 281 per passenger in 2020–21 to Rs 750 at present. For international travel, the charge surged 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 highest UDF, the departure from Hyderabad Airport becomes most expansive than from other major metro hubs.
