After continuous intervention from the Civil Aviation Ministry, airfares have been slashed again, bringing respite to travellers. According to Ministry sources, the cut is anywhere between 5 per cent and 74 per cent on select routes. The need for intervention arose as prices of various airlines on multiple routes had skyrocketed post Covid.

One notable example is the Delhi-Mumbai route, which experienced a substantial decline from ₹22,094 to ₹5,736, accounting for a remarkable 74 per cent decrease. Similarly, the Delhi-Ahmedabad route witnessed a 72 per cent drop in fares, plummeting from ₹18,555 to ₹5,251. The Mumbai-Delhi route also saw a 5 per cent reduction in airfares.

Furthermore, even for future bookings, passengers can benefit from lower airfares. For instance, a person traveling on the Delhi-Ahmedabad route on June 12 would have paid ₹8,885 if the ticket was booked on June 5. However, for the same route travel on July 5, the airfare posted a 66 per cent drop to ₹3,058 by June 28.

‘Facilitator, not regulator’

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia emphasised that the Ministry’s role is that of a facilitator, aiming to ensure reasonable airfares rather than acting as a regulator. The airlines were encouraged to self-regulate airfares and maintain price levels that are reasonable for passengers.

Prior to this intervention, the government had urged airlines to devise mechanisms to ensure reasonable airfares, particularly on routes that were previously served by Go First. The hour-long meeting of the airlines’ advisory group on June 5 provided an opportunity for Scindia to express concerns about the steep rise in airfares on specific routes.

Upon his direction, airlines had posted a cut of 14-61 per cent in fares earlier this month. The Directorate General Of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has been diligently monitoring airfares on a daily basis to ensure compliance.

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