Hyderabad Airport Cuts Departure Fees and Adds a New Arrival Charge From 1 September 2026

Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Hyderabad began charging a new User Development Fee (UDF) on arriving passengers from 1 September 2026, alongside a cut to its departure UDF, under a revised tariff order issued by the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) covering the airport's fourth control period, running from April 2026 to March 2031.

What's changing

Until now, passengers arriving in Hyderabad on domestic flights paid no UDF at all. Under the new order, domestic arriving passengers are charged approximately ₹220 and international arriving passengers approximately ₹440. At the same time, the departure UDF has been reduced by around 30 percent, with domestic departing passengers paying roughly ₹515, down from ₹750, and international departing passengers roughly ₹1,030, down from ₹1,500.

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Why the change

AERA's tariff orders set airport charges over multi-year control periods based on each airport's approved capital spending and revenue requirements; Hyderabad's revised order effectively rebalances the UDF between arriving and departing passengers rather than changing the airport's total fee revenue outright. Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport has introduced a broadly similar shift for the same period, also extending its UDF to arriving passengers for the first time from September 2026 while cutting departure charges.

What it means for travellers

For most passengers, the UDF is bundled into the ticket price rather than paid separately at the airport, so the practical effect shows up in fares rather than at a counter. Travellers with itineraries booked before September may see the new charges reflected only on tickets issued after the change took effect.

Traveller tips

• This fee changed on 1 September 2026; figures above are drawn from AERA's tariff order and news reporting around it and may vary slightly by passenger category.
• The UDF is generally included in the ticket fare rather than collected separately, so there's usually nothing to pay at the airport itself.
• Always confirm current airport charges on AERA's official website or with your airline before travel, since tariff figures can be revised.
• Bengaluru has introduced a similar arrival fee from the same date; if flying via Bengaluru, expect a comparable change reflected in fares.