Delhi HC quashes PIL against airport development fee

New Delhi, Aug 26 (ANI): The Delhi High Court on Wednesday dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging the imposition of airport development fee (ADF) on passengers by the airport service providers.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation directed the all airlines flying out of Delhi to collect a development fee from the passengers while issuing tickets from March this year.

Accordingly the air service providers are charging Rs 200 from domestic passengers and Rs 1300 from international passengers in the airfare for airport development.

Dismissing the petition the two-judge bench of the High Court comprising of Chief Justice Ajit Prakash Shah and Justice Manmohan, said, "We find that no irregularities are attached to the imposition of development charges."

Referring to the section of the Airport Authority Act, in its judgment the court states, "Section 12 (4), if the act construed as sans without the power of imposing the levy of development charges then the lesse would not be entitled to recover any fees from the passengers for the other facilities."

The judges opined that if the Airport Authority of India (AAI) had to carry out the development of the airport for the welfare of passengers, it is right to charge the ADF from them.

The PIL argued that the money being charged for airport development work was placing undue burden on traveling public, and in return for the payment airpoort service providers are not offering the passenger any extra facility or value.

Earlier, last week the bench reserved the order, after hearing the arguments from the AAI, Delhi International Authority Limited (DIAL) and Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL). (ANI)