New Delhi: The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA) has imposed temporary maximum caps on domestic airfares for all airlines in India following widespread flight cancellations and a resulting surge in ticket prices. The government intervention comes amidst significant operational disruption across the country’s aviation network, primarily stemming from issues at the nation’s largest carrier.
The emergency directive mandates fare ceilings for non-business class travel, structured according to the distance, or stage length, of the flight. The new limits are effective immediately to prevent what the ministry termed “opportunistic pricing” and to protect passengers from financial exploitation during the period of instability.
The fare caps are as follows:
- Up to 500 km: Maximum fare of Rs 7,500
- 500 to 1,000 km: Maximum fare of Rs 12,000
- 1,000 to 1,500 km: Maximum fare of Rs 15,000
- Above 1,500 km: Maximum fare of Rs 18,000
These amounts are exclusive of applicable airport levies and taxes. The limits do not apply to business class tickets or flights operating under the regional connectivity scheme, UDAN.
MOCA issued an official directive to all carriers, warning that any deviation from the prescribed norms will attract immediate corrective action. The ministry stated the caps will remain in force until airfares stabilise or until a further review is conducted. The government will monitor fare levels continuously using real-time data from airlines and online travel platforms.
The decision to reintroduce fare caps, a measure previously used during the COVID-19 pandemic, was necessitated by an abnormal spike in ticket prices on key routes after the severe disruption led to a sudden capacity shortage across the domestic market. Airlines have also been instructed to maintain ticket availability across all price categories and to explore deploying additional capacity on routes experiencing high demand.
Reports indicated that some last-minute, one-way, economy class tickets had reached exorbitant prices due to the massive operational disruptions and cancellations by a major airline.