Proposal to Ensure Rs 2,500 Airfare Cap for 1-Hour Flights: Govt

The government will also hold consultations with the airlines to curb exorbitant pricing during emergencies.

An IndiGo Airlines Airbust A320 aircraft and JetKonnect Boeing 737 aircraft taxi at Mumbai’s Chhatrapathi Shivaji International Airport. ( Photo: Reuters) 

There is a proposal to ensure that only Rs 2,500 is charged per ticket for one-hour flights, government told the Lok Sabha on Tuesday amid concerns expressed by members over exorbitant airfares.

The government also said it will hold consultations with the airlines to explore the possibility of curbing the menace of charging exorbitant airfares during emergency situations.

The ministry will commence the process of consultations with stakeholders, including airlines, to explore possibilities of containing fares.

<b>Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Civil Aviation Minister</b>

Gajapathi Raju said while replying to a debate on Demand for Grants for the Ministries of Civil Aviation and Tourism which was approved by the House later.

Are Airlines Passing on Lower ATF Costs?

Raju said a comparative study undertaken by the Ministry for January-March 2013 and the same period during 2016 showed a reduction of 18.10 percent in airfares.

This shows that the airlines are passing the benefits from lower ATF (Aviation Turbine Fuel) costs to the passengers, he added.

During the debate, members voiced concern over exorbitant airfares during emergency situations like unprecedented floods in Chennai and Srinagar and the recent Jat agitation.

Raju said that during the Chennai floods the airlines did help the government to evacuate stranded people by operating flights from Arakonam air base to Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

He added that airlines operated additional flights during floods in Srinagar, earthquake in Nepal and the Jat agitation in Haryana.

Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma said that the Rs 2,500 airfare cap is part of the government’s efforts to strengthen regional air connectivity.