Airlines cut fares by 25 per cent

New Delhi: Domestic airlines have lowered the fares by 20-25 per cent
after the Civil Aviation Ministry and the
Directorate General of Civil Aviation
cracked the whip on them for
charging exorbitant prices. The fares
for tickets bought both at the last- minute and in advance during
November-December were however
yet to return to the average levels
during the same period last year.
The overall airfares on several sectors
have come down in the past week, official sources said, adding that the
“ pressure” mounted by the Civil Aviation Ministry and the DGCA against
exorbitant airfares had been a
success, officials told PTI on Sunday.
The fare hike had also led to a public
outcry.
The DGCA and Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel had in the last few days
warned of action if the errant airlines
did not roll back the abrupt hike in
fares. Air fares, especially the last-
minute or spot tickets, had sky-
rocketed even during the non-peak season.
The fare range on Delhi-Mumbai sector
now was Rs 5,000 to Rs 20,000 on
economy class ticket, while that on
Delhi- Chennai and Delhi-Kolkata it
stood between Rs 5,000 and Rs 15,000, the officials said.
Two weeks ago, the lowest last-
minute Delhi-Mumbai fare was about
Rs 17,000, even though holiday travel
season had not begun.
The lowest available fares at the same time last year was about Rs 3,000 for
Delhi-Mumbai and Rs 4,000 for the
Delhi-Chennai and Delhi-Kolkata
sectors, they said.
The DGCA have held deliberations with
airline representatives over the last two weeks.