New Delhi: In a big relief for air travellers, the soaring prices have come down by up to 61 per cent after Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia’s intervention. Owing to the surge in demand and the absence of Go First flights, air ticket prices skyrocketed in several busy routes from Delhi. The Civil Aviation minister expressed satisfaction with the reduction in maximum fares for flights connecting Delhi to destinations such as Srinagar, Leh, Pune, and Mumbai.
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“I am happy to say that the maximum fares on flights connecting Delhi to Srinagar, Leh, Pune and Mumbai were reduced by 14-61 per cent on June 6. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Ministry are monitoring the daily fares,” Scindia said while addressing the press conference.
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Scindia, while explaining how the airfares are decided, said, “The airlines have been given rights to fix airfares which are market controlled. The aviation market in the country is season based. The rates are also fixed accordingly. If capacity is low and demand is high and input costs are not reduced, then rates will be high. There is an algorithm to decide the fare.”
However, he also highlighted that airlines also have a social responsibility to keep the prices in check and that’s where the role of the Civil Aviation minister comes into play. “The role of the ministry is that of a facilitator and not a regulator,” he added.
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The Union Minister, in the meeting with the airlines advisory group, asked the airlines to self-regulate airfares and maintain reasonable price levels keeping in mind the Odisha tragedy as well as the situation in Manipur.
“Apart from these, the fare rate remains maximum from Delhi to cities like Srinagar, Leh, Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, and Bengaluru,” the minister had said in the meeting.
