IATA Urges India to Regulate Soaring Airport Charges

Global airlines group IATA has raised concerns about the significant increase in airport charges in India, suggesting regulations to control costs and ensure more accessible air travel. The IATA's Director General Willie Walsh emphasized the negative impact of these rising charges on the aviation industry's growth and competitiveness.

Global airlines' grouping IATA on Wednesday flagged concerns about a significant increase in airport charges in India and suggested regulations to ensure all costs can be controlled to allow more people to travel by air.

According to IATA, tariffs for major airports are approved by the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA), and charges at some airports have increased recently. IATA Director General Willie Walsh highlighted that after the privatisation of some airports, an automatic increase in charges has been witnessed in India.

Speaking at the Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Civil Aviation in the national capital, Walsh emphasized that India needs to regulate airport charges to ensure sustained industry growth. Despite commendable investments in infrastructure, uncontrolled costs could hinder aviation growth and accessibility.

(With inputs from agencies.)