Booking a flight ticket is costly enough for a mediocre person but the recent statement released by the Airport Authority is leaving citizens worried. Reported by Times of India, the Delhi International Airport (DIAL), 1st February onwards, the services will charge extra for X-ray baggage whose cost will vary from Rs 110 to Rs 880 for domestic services while the international flight passengers will have to pay the amount which ranges from $149.33 to $209.55 at Indira Gandhi International Airport

The passenger’s checking at the frisking zone will be done by the Central Industrial Security Force(CISF) officer, and the airport operators handle the check-in of baggage. The extra fee will be charged from the airlines but forwardly passes to passengers making the domestic flyer to pay Rs 5 while the international flyer will pay Rs 50 for the same checking process.

The decision was made after the airport operators paid whopping Rs 120 crore to the Government as security fees for passengers because many security types of equipment were bought. Later, the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority shortly is known as (AERA) got details from DIAL related to purchasing of equipment. The money is set to be collected as passengers security fee as the machine and equipment were bought for their welfare.

A leading daily quoted, as described by AERA order, “sought information from DIAL regarding details of baggage screening equipment bought from PSF and DIAL’s own fund separately. DIAL, on October 24, 2018, submitted that it had procured assets relating to baggage screening equipment worth Rs 119.66 crore from PSF and Rs 2.23 crore from DIAL’s own fund.”

ERA then “stipulated DIAL will be entitled to charge X-ray baggage charges if it remits back the amount spent from PSF. The screening charges shall be applicable from the date of DIAL’s remittance of the required amount to PSF fund,” as said in the order.

Published by Shifa Naz on 17 Jan 2019