IATA, which has given approval for the two greenfield airports to impose the fee, said there was no justification to charge differential fee for domestic and international travellers.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, IATA’s Asia representative Albert Tjoeng remarked: “We agree in principle to the UDF but there will be cross-subsidisation if international passengers are charged more than domestic passengers.

If the service offered is the same, then the charges have to be similar.” Tjoeng was of the opinion that the earlier the government set up the proposed Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) and addressed the issue, the better.

“The same goes for ground handling charges. The IATA and the airlines support the need for strong, robust and independent economic regulation.

It is required to give sufficient protection to users against potential monopoly abuse of dominant position… The independence of regulators from the government, especially for airports that retain a degree of public sector ownership, is critical in order to provide objectivity.”