Flying out of Hyd? Parking your car at RGI airport costs more than other metros

Hyderabad: Parking a vehicle at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport has become more expensive than at other metro airports across India. This aligns the airport’s embarkation fee, which is also the highest among metro hubs.According to official parking fee data from metro airports, large airports in cities such as Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru typically charge between Rs 100 and Rs 150 for parking a four-wheeler for the first 30 minutes, with an additional hourly rate of around Rs 80 thereafter. Hyderabad airport, however, charges Rs 150 for the first 30 minutes and Rs 100 for every additional hour, making it the costliest nationwide.The gap widens for longer parking durations. Airports in Mumbai and Delhi cap parking charges at around Rs 600 for 24 hours, while Hyderabad airport charges up to Rs 750 for the same period.

Mumbai airport offers up to eight minutes of free parking.These higher rates aren’t just limited to private vehicles. Commercial vehicles such as taxis are also charged Rs 300 for up to 30 minutes and Rs 400 for up to one hour, followed by Rs 200 for every additional hour, taking the total to Rs 1,000 for a full day. In comparison, Mumbai and Delhi airports charge around Rs 250 and Rs 270 respectively for 30 minutes, while their 24-hour cap remains close to Rs 800, about Rs 200 lower than Hyderabad.

Frequent flyers say parking costs have risen sharply over the years. “Earlier, it used to cost around Rs 300 for 24 hours. Later it increased to Rs 500, and now it is Rs 750. I travel over 50 times a year for conferences and even enquired about an annual pass, but there is no such option. Despite the high charges, the parking area still lacks amenities like roof,” said Dheerendra Sammineni, founder of Safe Drive International.According to GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHAIL), the parking charges were revised in July last year. “Parking charges were revised to support infrastructure upgrades and the deployment of advanced technology solutions aimed at enhancing the safety, security and protection of parked vehicles,” a GHIAL spokesperson said.Many passengers say they now avoid bringing their own vehicles to the airport because of the high parking costs and instead rely on taxis.

However, taxi users also face additional costs, as drivers are required to pay parking charges for airport entry.“Authorities have recently restricted taxi access to arrival zones for passenger pickups. As a result, several taxi operators are reportedly converting their vehicles to white-board registrations, which is illegal,” said the president of the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union.