Airport operators may soon have to face scrutiny over efficiency of costs incurred at their aerodromes as the regulator feels some reported expenses are high, which burden the passengers. Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) is planning to conduct efficiency studies, starting with Delhi and Mumbai airports, which are due for tariff revision from April 2019.
Under the efficiency study, the regulator wants to determine if costs like maintenance and labour are reasonable for fixing tariffs. Airport tariffs mainly comprise user development fee (UDF) paid by passengers, and parking and landing charges levied on airlines. At Delhi, for instance, a flat fee of Rs 77 is charged on each departing passenger while the carriers pay Rs 171-228/MT (metric tonne) for landing aircraft and Rs 7.40/MT as parking fee.
