A planned VVIP-only terminal at the Navi Mumbai airport has come under airlines’ scrutiny during ongoing tariff finalisation exercise.
The first phase of the Navi Mumbai airport became operational last December with domestic flights. The master plan proposes construction of four terminals over next several years to handle 90 million passengers annually.
It also proposes a construction of VVIP terminal for heads of states and other high-ranking dignitaries. The facility would be separate from proposed general aviation terminal for charter and private aircraft.
While details of the planned VVIP terminal are not available, it will cost ₹55 crore as per Navi Mumbai International Airport Limited’s (NMIA) submission to the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA).
The proposal, however, has come under criticism of International Air Transport Association (IATA) which has questioned the need for a separate VVIP terminal, and said costs associated with it should not be recovered from ordinary passengers.
NMIA did not respond to an email query. It will submit its response on stakeholder comments to AERA.
Tariff proposal
In it’s comments on the tariff proposal, IATA has said that general airport users who are expected to pick up the costs have not been consulted on necessity and scope of a VVIP terminal.
The airline lobby group has also said strict regulatory demarcation is imperative as a VVIP facility will not generate any revenue.
“In such circumstances neither the capital expenditure not the operating and maintenance costs of these facilities should be included in the aeronautical tariff base applicable to scheduled airlines and commercial passengers,” IATA has said.
“Requiring airlines and passengers to fund sovereign protocol infrastructure would be fundamentally inconsistent with the principles of user-pay and and cost-relatedness that underpin AERA’s tariff framework as well as International Civil Aviation Organisation policies on charges for airports and air navigation services,” it said.
In its tariff proposal, NMIA has proposed continuation of existing ad-hoc user development fee for domestic and international passengers from July to next Match end. Beyond that, it has proposed an annual increase in fees until March 2030.
At present departing domestic and international passengers pay a user fee of ₹620 and ₹1,225 respectively. Incoming domestic and international passengers are charged ₹270 and ₹525 respectively.
Published on April 27, 2026