Air travel from Hyderabad is set to get slightly cheaper, with the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (AERA) cutting the user development fee (UDF) for departing domestic passengers at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) from ₹750 to ₹515, effective September 1.AERA issued its regular Tariff Order for the Hyderabad airport’s fourth control period, covering September 1, 2026, to March 31, 2031, on Monday. For the fourth control period, GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd. (GHIAL) had proposed an Aggregate Revenue Requirement (ARR) of ₹27,851 crore (or ₹20,025 crore in present value terms), under its Multi-Year Tariff Proposal. After examining the regulatory building blocks, including capital expenditure, operations and maintenance costs, rate of return and non-aeronautical revenues, AERA rationalised the proposal.The regulator has approved a baseline ARR of ₹11,683.49 crore, or ₹9,308.20 crore in present value terms, lower than the amount sought by GHIAL. This translates into a baseline yield per passenger of ₹426.39, which has been apportioned among landing and parking charges, UDF and other airport charges.Domestic, international UDF revisedThe UDF for departing domestic passengers has been fixed at ₹515, compared with ₹580 proposed by GHIAL and the existing ₹750.For departing international passengers, the UDF has been fixed at ₹1,030 per passenger, against ₹1,150 proposed by the airport operator and the existing ₹1,500.AERA said the ₹515 domestic departing passenger UDF has been kept at a nominal level, particularly as domestic passengers account for around 82% of the total passenger traffic at Hyderabad airport. The regulator said the decision would help keep air travel affordable for domestic passengers while supporting the growth of domestic aviation.AERA has also determined landing charges at ₹435 per metric tonne (MT) for domestic flights and ₹630 per MT for international flights for the initial tariff period.UDF to change during the control periodThe tariff order provides for different UDF levels during different periods of the fourth control period. For domestic passengers, the embarking UDF will be ₹515 from September 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027, ₹555 in 2027-28, ₹620 in 2028-29 and ₹670 from April 1 to October 31, 2029. It will then fall to ₹415 from November 1, 2029, to March 31, 2031.The corresponding disembarking UDF will be ₹220, ₹240, ₹265, ₹285 and ₹175 for the respective periods.For international passengers, the embarking UDF will be ₹1,030 initially, rising to ₹1,085 in 2027-28, ₹1,130 in 2028-29 and ₹1,175 from April 1 to October 31, 2029. It will then be ₹880 from November 1, 2029, to March 31, 2030, and ₹915 in 2030-31.The international disembarking UDF will be ₹440, ₹465, ₹485, ₹500, ₹375 and ₹390 across the respective periods.Landing charges to riseDomestic landing charges have been fixed at ₹435 per MT for September 2026 to March 2027. They will rise to ₹530 in 2027-28, ₹640 in 2028-29 and ₹745 from April 1 to October 31, 2029, before falling to ₹230 from November 1, 2029, to March 31, 2030, and ₹275 in 2030-31.For international flights, the corresponding landing charges are ₹630, ₹735, ₹845, ₹905, ₹245 and ₹315 per MT for the same periods.