Airlines ask govt to waive user fees at Srinagar airport

Srinagar: A security personnel at a checkpost near a deserted Srinagar International Airport, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. A few airports, including Srinagar, have been shut for operations in the wake of the armed forces carrying out missile strikes on terror targets in Pakistan, according to officials. (PTI Photo)(PTI05_07_2025_000124A)

Airlines have asked the Civil Aviation Ministry to waive user fees collected from passengers at Srinagar airport following a slump in travel demand after the Pahalgam terror attack in April.

The Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), which represents Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet, recently made this request in a letter to civil aviation secretary Samir Kumar Sinha.

“ Airlines have played a vital role in substantial growth of tourism in the Kashmir region over years. After Pahalgam incident, tourists are terrified and no one is travelling to Kashmir region for tourism purposes. There is no demand for air travel to and from Kashmir. Hotels are empty there,” FIA said in its letter.

Currently, every passenger departing from Srinagar is charged ₹1,050 as user development fee and ₹200 as aviation security fee. FIA has requested the government to waive the fees for a year to boost travel demand to the region.

Twenty six tourists were killed in a terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22. This incident led to travellers curtailing their ongoing trips or cancelling planned visit. The government’s targeted attack against terror sites in Pakistan occupied Kashmir under the Operation Sindoor also impacted travel demand with government temporarily suspending flight operations at over 20 plus airports including Srinagar.

Published on June 10, 2025