Why should passengers pay airport development fee: SC

Both Delhi and Mumbai airports have been charging Rs 200 from outgoing domestic and Rs 1,300 from international passengers since March 1. Acting on an appeal filed by an NGO,Consumer Online Foundation,the Bench,comprising Justices RV Raveendran and GS Singhvi,issued notices to the Ministry of Civil Aviation,Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL).

The Bench sought to know why the airport should be allowed to levy such a fee on passengers.

In its appeal challenging an earlier Delhi High Court judgment,the Foundation said DIAL,the lessee of AAI,had no jurisdiction to charge the fees for three years and was violating the provisions of the Airport Authority of India Act,1994.

The developmental fee was entirely illegal and “hefty money to the tune of Rs 1,827 crore has been permitted from the public without the sanction of law,by way of mere letters,” the appeal added.

Apart from alleging that the money being charged for airport development work was “placing undue burden on travelling public”,the organisation had argued that in return for the payment,the passenger is not being offered any extra facility by DIAL.

Earlier,the Delhi HC had struck down the petition challenging the fee,noting: “We find that no irregularities are attached to the imposition of development charges”.