FASTag parking payments halted at Delhi airport’s T3 after misuse

FASTag-based parking payments at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport’s Terminal 3 arrival area were temporarily halted on Wednesday. The suspension occurred after authorities discovered the parking operator was using the smart tag to control vehicle entry instead of using it strictly to collect parking fees.

Indian Highway Management Company Limited (IHMCL), which operates under the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), sent a letter on Wednesday to the acquirer bank overseeing the T3 parking facility. The agency instructed the bank to immediately stop "any other use" of the smart tag outside of parking fee collection, warning that failing to comply could result in penalties such as de-boarding the bank from the Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) parking network.

The problem came to light after former NITI Aayog Vice-Chairperson Rajiv Kumar raised concerns online. In a post on X on Tuesday, Kumar said, “All of a sudden a new process has been introduced by @DelhiAirportGMR that it will not allow cars with annual @fastagofficial pass to enter the departure lanes of Terminal 3. Instead all cars are expected to have some balance in their main account. Else they are required to go to the parking. No prior notice. No explanation. Completely arbitrary. Maximising passenger harassment. @NHAI_Official and @AAI_Official to please note and rectify.”


Alo read: ‘Why is Gyanesh Kumar so important to Modi?’: asks CJP’s Abhijeet Dipke; Neha Bora, Kapil Sibal, Prakash Raj question CEC’s protection

Addressing the concern, IHMCL clarified that FASTag functions strictly as a payment method for airport parking and cannot be utilized to enforce entry rules. “The matter has been taken cognisance of and the bank concerned has been directed to discontinue any such restrictions,” it replied.

According to sources familiar with the situation, vehicles without FASTag were being manually diverted toward the multi-level parking lot, leading to significant passenger hassle. Additionally, drivers redirected toward the area often got caught in traffic, exceeding the permitted free time limit and ultimately being forced to pay parking charges.

(With inputs from TOI)