Aviation Minister Meets Airlines Over Dramatically Higher Airfares

25.08.2023 - 13:26 / skift.com / United Airlines / Amrita Ghosh / Jyotiraditya Scindia / Cruises / Airlines

Amid the surge in domestic airfares, India’s Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia asked airlines to “self-monitor” the prices on certain routes, particularly the ones that have been most affected by suspension of cash-strapped airline Go Firstfrom May 3.In a meeting with airline executives, Scindia shared concerns over recent reports of “abnormal surge pricing on certain routes,” the Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a statement. “Airlines must self-monitor air fares on certain select routes that have seen considerable surge pricing of late, particularly those that were earlier being serviced by Go First…a mechanism for ensuring reasonable pricing within the high reservation booking designators may be devised by airlines. This shall be monitored by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation,” the ministry informed. 

Earlier in April, the parliamentary standing committee for transport, tourism and culture summoned representatives of IndiGo, Vistara, GoFirst, Air India and SpiceJet to depose on the subject of exorbitant airfares. Airfares on certain domestic routes have skyrocketed in recent days, largely driven by summer travel demand, airline capacity constraints and suspension of Go First’s operations. On routes involving popular summer holiday destinations, airfares have jumped up by as much as 50-80 percent over last month. For instance, tourist hotspot sectors like Delhi-Leh and Delhi-Srinagar have witnessed return airfares touching around $606. Scindia also told airlines that they need to keep a “tight check” on airfares during calamities. 

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