Passengers at Navi Mumbai's new airport to pay user fee from Rs 270 to Rs 1,225

Navi Mumbai's new airport

Passengers flying from the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) will pay a temporary user development fee (UDF) of Rs 620 for domestic departures and Rs 1,225 for international departures, the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) has ruled. Arriving passengers will be charged Rs 270 (domestic) and Rs 525 (international), excluding taxes.

The fees, approved on an ad-hoc basis, will apply from the airport’s opening expected later this year until 31 March 2026, or until final tariffs are set, whichever comes first. The decision follows a proposal by the Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd (NMIAL), which had sought higher fees: Rs 840 (domestic departures) and Rs 1,500 (international departures). AERA, however, deemed these rates excessive and moderated them, according to a 42-page order reviewed by PTI.

Compared to Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), NMIA’s interim UDF is significantly steeper. CSMIA currently charges Rs 207 (domestic) and Rs 726 (international) per departing passenger, inclusive of taxes. The new airport’s fees, however, exclude taxes, meaning passengers will pay additional levies, as per TOI.

NMIA is set to open with an initial annual capacity of 20 million passengers, combining Phase I and II. By 2030, Phase III will expand this to 50 million, with later phases targeting 70 million and 90 million passengers. The airport operator plans to invest Rs 57,333 crore over the first three phases, including Rs 22,531 crore in the initial stages, AERA noted.

According to TOI, the regulator also approved provisional tariffs for cargo operations but directed NMIAL to simplify its fee structure during the final tariff determination. Landing charges for international flights were similarly adjusted under a variable tariff plan (VTP) aimed at attracting more flights. AERA stated these would be reviewed in detail later.

With commercial operations expected by August 2025, AERA’s interim fees aim to bridge the gap until a full multi-year tariff, submitted by NMIAL in February, is finalised. The regulator emphasised that ad-hoc collections would be reconciled during the formal tariff-setting process.