NEW DELHI: With the home ministry threatening to withdraw CISF security cover at Delhi’s IGI Airport following mounting dues for security personnel deployment, a team of aviation ministry top brass met Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday. The combined dues of Indian airport operators to CISF for personnel deployment stands at Rs 915 crore, of which Rs 775 crore is reportedly outstanding from Delhi Airport alone.

“Had a fruitful meeting with home minister Rajnath Singhji along with my colleague Jayant Sinha. Discussed issues related to passenger service fee (PSF). Extremely hopeful for the redressal of the same in near future,” Union aviation minister Suresh Prabhu tweeted on Thursday evening.

“We will take up the matter with the finance ministry. We are not considering to increase PSF,” a senior aviation ministry official said without elaborating how the CISF dues will be paid. All air travellers in India pay a PSF of Rs 130 to cover security deployment expense incurred by airport operators.

DIAL and all other airport operators, including state-run Airports Authority India, want the current PSF to be hiked by about 50% which, they believe, is the only way to meet mounting expenses for security personnel deployment. While DIAL disputes the overdue amount, it accepts that PSF collection is falling short of meeting security deployment cost at IGIA.

The CISF has made it clear that Delhi Airport’s dues — Rs 533 crore principal and Rs 242 crore interest — need to be cleared at the earliest. The home ministry warned aviation authorities that unless DIAL clears the dues by September, IGIA security cover will be withdrawn beginning with the cargo terminal.

