Flying to Hyderabad airport will be more expensive as GHIAL proposes an arrival fee from September

Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad.

Passengers arriving at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) may soon have to pay the User Development Fee (UDF), a fee that has so far been mostly collected only from departing passengers, if the proposal submitted by GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL) to the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) receives approval.

A passenger flying to Hyderabad from another city could end up paying airport charges at both ends of the journey. The UDF would continue to be collected as part of the ticket, similar to the existing departure fee. As part of its Annual Tariff Proposal (ATP) for the fourth review period from FY 2027 to FY 2031, GHIAL proposed to split the UDF between departing and arriving passengers.

Under the proposal, domestic passengers departing from Hyderabad airport would pay a UDF of ₹580, while those arriving would pay ₹170. For international passengers, the proposed UDF is ₹1,150 on departure and ₹350 on arrival. The charges would apply to tickets issued on or after September 1, 2026, if approved by AERA.

According to GHIAL, the proposed change is necessary as the Hyderabad airport is gearing up for a major expansion to cater to the rapidly growing passenger traffic. The operator said that passenger numbers at RGIA are expected to reach 51 million passengers per annum (MPPA) by FY31, which will require substantial infrastructure expansion. It plans to invest around ₹13,975 crore in the next three to four years to develop a new passenger terminal and additional runways. The airport said the continuation of the UDF is necessary to generate the internal accruals needed to finance capital expenditure.

The proposal also envisages a reduction in the UDF during the fifth year (April 1, 2030 to March 31, 2031) of the control period. Accordingly, the departure UDF for domestic passengers would come down to ₹400, while the arrival UDF would come down to ₹120. For international passengers, the departure UDF would be reduced to ₹ 880 and the arrival UDF to ₹ 260.

The document clarifies that the UDF would only apply to tickets issued after the date of introduction and that several categories of passengers would continue to be exempt from the tax. These include children under the age of two, diplomatic passport holders, airline crew on duty, personnel traveling on duty on board Indian Armed Forces aircraft, passengers on United Nations peacekeeping missions, transit passengers traveling on the same ticket within 24 hours and passengers who are diverted due to technical or weather disturbances.

Published – 05 Jul 2026 18:23 IST