Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (Amendment) Bill Passed in Rajya Sabha

The Rajya Sabha has passed the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (AERA) Bill 2019 which amends the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India Act, 2008.

Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India

The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (AERA) was established by the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India Act, 2008. The AERA is responsible for determining:

• Tariff for aeronautical services at different airports every five years.
• Development fees of major airports.
• Passengers service fee.

What does Amendment Propose?

The 2008 Act defines a major airport as one with annual passenger traffic over 15 lakh, or any other airports as notified by the central government.  The Bill increases the threshold of annual passenger traffic for major airports to over 35 lakh.

The bill states that AERA will not determine the tariff, tariff structures, or the development fees, in certain cases such as where such tariff amounts were a part of the bid document on the basis of which the airport operations were awarded.