For the next three years i.e., March 31, 2026, the airfares from Kolkata Airport will remain high. Yes, the people traveling from Kolkata airport will have higher fares as compared to the people traveling from other airports. Airport User Development Costs (UDFs) are currently Rs 583 and Rs 1402 for domestic and international passengers, respectively. This may change to Rs 1895 for domestic flights and Rs 4560 for international flights by April 2025.
Effects Of Covid On The Aviation Industry
The aviation industry has been one of the hardest hits in these COVID eras, and AERA is trying to balance the declining demand for flights due to higher fares with airline liquidity issues. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has proposed raising airport airfares by March 31, 2026. Although according to the sources the Kolkata International Airport may be revived by March 2024, an International revival may take longer.
According to AERA, “AAI expects the terminal building (Kolkata) to be fully operational by the fiscal year 2024-25. As a result, AAI, through commitments proposes to invest $ 1.23 billion worth of capital spending on capacity.”
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UDF Has Been Raised
User development costs have been offset. Therefore, the UDF for domestic passengers, which is currently 583 Rs, has been raised to 735 Rs, and the UDF for international passengers has been raised to 1401 Rs from October 1, 2021, to 1401 Rs. Then, on April 1, 2023, they will increase by another 26%. Eventually, by 2025-2026, there will be an additional 27% increase on April 1st of each fiscal year.
So, for the next 3 years, people traveling via Kolkata airport will have to pay higher fares as compared to people traveling from other airports in India.
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