Stopping them from collecting the fee would frustrate the whole government policy of involving private participation in the sector,' the bench said.

The bench had reserved the order last week after the hearing arguments of the AAI, Delhi International Authority Limited (DIAL) and Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL).

The public interest petition had challenged the ADF of Rs.200 on all outgoing domestic passengers and Rs.1,300 on international ones since March 1, 2009.

Besides alleging that the money being charged for airport development work was 'placing undue burden on the travelling public', the petition argued that in return for the payment, the passenger is not being offered any extra facility or value by DIAL.

In March, the government asked all airlines flying out of Delhi to collect a development fee from passengers while issuing tickets.