Domestic Airfare gets costlier: Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that as soon as the flight services reach the pre-Covid level, the price band in their fares will be abolished.
New Delhi: If you are planning an air trip in the coming days, then stop. People who are planning to book plane tickets can get a big shock. Domestic air travel in the country has become expensive now. Yes, the government has decided to abolish the price band in air fares.
After this decision of the government, there will be a minimum increase of 10 percent in domestic air fares and up to a maximum of 30 percent. Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri termed the setting of limits on air fares as an ‘extraordinary measure’ and said that as soon as the flight services reach the pre-Covid level, their fares are eliminated by the price band will be given.
Air travel will be expensive
| time of flight | Old Band (Rs.) | New Band (Rs.) |
| Up to 40 minutes | 2,000-6,000 | 2,200-7,800 |
| 40-60 minutes | 2,500-7,500 | 2,800-9,800 |
| 60-90 minutes | 3,000-9,000 | 3,300-11,700 |
| 90-120 minutes | 3,500-10,000 | 3,900-13,000 |
| 120-150 minutes | 4,500-13,000 | 5,000-16,900 |
The aviation minister said this
Puri said in response to supplementary questions during the Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha that the civil aviation sector was completely closed in view of the Corona virus epidemic on 23 March 2020 and it was restored on 25 May with various guidelines. He said, “Our effort has always been to open a little more than the actual and potential traffic.” Regarding not operating 80 per cent of the flight services capacity, Puri said that the airlines take this decision on a commercial basis.
Capping was imposed in the Corona era
He said that the step of imposing minimum and maximum limits on air fares was an extraordinary measure which became necessary due to extraordinary circumstances. The motive behind this was that in the event of limited availability, the airline should not charge rent.
Puri said, ‘It is not our intention that the Fair Band should be a permanent feature. This cannot be a free and unregulated market situation. So, we hope that by summer, when the flights come back to pre-Kovid levels, we will not need the price band.
