A Parliamentary committee has made several recommendations, including stabilising airfares, mandatory adoption of Digi Yatra app and installation of baggage X-Ray machines for the modernisation of airports.
The recent increase in airfare noticed in India was driven by seasonality, demand-supply constraints, besides the rise in fuel prices, Union Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia informed Parliament on Thursday.
Airfares on key routes declined, though by varying degrees, which was as high as 70 per cent for the busy Delhi-Mumbai route, according to data available with regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
Civil aviation fleet in India has risen 75 per cent since 2013-14 to about 700 and is likely to rise towards 1500-2000 in the next half a decade, said Union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia a day after Indigo announced the 500 aircraft mega deal with Airbus.
Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday lashed out at opposition leaders who levelled allegations on him that airfares in India were out of control.
Crisis-hit airline Go First on Monday announced that its scheduled flight operations will remain cancelled till June 22 due to operational reasons. Earlier, it was supposed to be till June 19.
In this regard, P Chidambaram took to Twitter and said," Delhi-Chennai Business Class air tickets on Vistara and Air India have been set at a 'reasonable' price of Rs 6300 and Rs 5700 respectively Oops, sorry, they are set at a 'very reasonable' Rs 63,000 and Rs 57,000 respectively."
Binoy Viswam in a letter to Jyotiraditya Scindia said, "I write to you seeking your intervention to arrest the indiscriminate increase in domestic airfare prices across the country, and the extreme hardship caused to the ordinary citizens of the country."
"As a result of this intervention, prices have seen up to 60 per cent decline. This is being monitored daily by the Minister himself," as per ministry sources on data by DGCA's Tariff Monitoring Unit.
The Twitter battle between Congress leader KC Venugopal and Union civil aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia continues over the latest rise in airfares and other affairs involving India's civil aviation sector.
Airfares in key markets in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East rose sharply even as airport charges have remained steady since the pandemic. A study conducted by Airports Council International Asia-Pacific in collaboration with Flare Aviation Consulting on airfare trends in the region found hig