Domestic Flight Ticket Price Hiked Up To 30%

To fly within the country, passengers must pay 30 per cent more because the government has hiked the minimum and maximum price band on the domestic flight prices. Which means, the minimum price band is increased by 10% and the maximum price band by 30%. The government has put a price cap on domestic flight operators to keep the ticket prices in check due to the limited number of flights.

The aviation regulator DGCA issued the government-decided fare limits on May 21 for these bands — domestic flights with less than 40-minute duration to have lower and upper limits of Rs 2,000 and Rs 6,000, for 40-60 minutes Rs 2,500 and Rs 7,500, for 60-90 minutes Rs 3,000 and Rs 9,000, for 90-120 minutes Rs 3,500 and Rs 10,000, for 120-150 minutes Rs 4,500 and Rs 13,000, for 150-180 minutes Rs 5,500 and Rs 15,700 and for 180-210 minutes Rs 6,500 and Rs 18,600.

For instance, the flight with 210-minute duration will have the upper price band (which is now capped at Rs 18,600) increased by 30% to Rs 24,200. That makes a total of Rs 5,600 increase. On the smallest route, for the minimum price band, the price will be increased by 10%, which mean an increase of Rs 200.

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri stated that once the covid situations come to normalcy, the price bands are expected to be discontinued. The minister said in Rajya Sabha that the civil aviation sector was entirely shut from March 23, 2020, to May 24. It was later reopened on May 25 in a slow and calibrated manner.

When asked about why flights are not operating up to 80 per cent capacity, the civil aviation minister said that the decision was taken by air carriers based on a commercial basis. “On the one hand, some of the carriers want us to open full capacity, 100 per cent, whereas others would like to go slow,” he said. He further added that the decision to increase beyond 80 per cent capacity will depend on the status of the virus.