Mumbai: The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) approved an ad-hoc User Development Fee (UDF) structure for the soon-to-be operational Navi Mumbai International Airport, allowing passengers to be charged up to Rs 1,225 per ticket.
As per the order, domestic outbound flyers will pay Rs 620, while international travellers will be charged Rs 1,225, reported news agency PTI. This ad-hoc tariff will remain applicable for the financial year 2025–26, until March 2026.
The Navi Mumbai International Airport, developed by Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd (NMIAL), is expected to become operational later this year. The UDF is likely to be added to the ticket fare and will be a critical revenue stream for the airport’s early-phase operations and infrastructure recovery.
Mumbai Airport Hikes User Development Fee
The announcement comes barely a month after a similar hike in the UDF at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), which is managed by Adani Airport Holdings. The revised UDF at CSMIA came into effect on May 16, 2025, and will remain in force until March 31, 2029.
As per the new rates, domestic outbound passengers are now charged Rs 175, and international outbound travellers Rs 615. Additionally, arriving passengers now also pay a UDF, Rs 75 for domestic and Rs 260 for international flyers, making CSMIA one of the few airports in India to impose the fee for both departures and arrivals.
The hike at Mumbai Airport is part of a broader plan to fund a Rs 10,000 crore capital expenditure program over the next five years. According to sources quoted by The Indian Express, the funds will be directed toward the redevelopment of Terminal 1, digital modernisation of Terminal 2, implementation of smart passenger processing systems, and sustainability measures such as full electrification and net-zero carbon targets by 2029.
CSMIA, which earlier levied among the lowest UDFs in the country (Rs 187 for international departures and zero for domestic), has realigned its fee structure in accordance with AERA’s consultation paper to increase its Yield Per Passenger (YPP) from Rs 285 to Rs 332, an 18 per cent rise.
As Navi Mumbai Airport gears up for launch and Mumbai Airport pushes ahead with major upgrades, air travellers in the region will see increased charges, directly linked to infrastructure enhancement and operational modernization efforts.
