Government Monitoring Airfare For Any Exorbitant Hike During Festivals: Aviation Minister

Airfare: Union Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu said on Monday that his ministry is monitoring airfares daily and asking air operators not to exploit passengers during festival season when demand tends to escalate.

"We are continuously talking to airline operators and have asked them not to exploit the opportunity, and keep airfares reasonable. We from the ministry are doing whatever is needed," Naidu told reporters on the sidelines of an event focused on regional air connectivity.

Asked if there are any guidelines for airline operators regarding the cap on airfare, the minister apprised that airfare is a market-driven process and hence a cap could not be imposed on it.

Tariff fixation has been deregulated and airlines are free to fix reasonable tariffs. "So far, we haven't noticed any unreasonable spike in airfares. They are cooperating with us. If we notice any unforeseen price rise, we will do whatever is needed to be done," the minister said.

The minister said ever since he took charge of the ministry, his commitment as a minister has been to keep airfares affordable. During the recent Parliament session, the Civil Aviation Minister took many questions related to the exorbitant rise in airfares, delays in flights, and aviation-related infrastructure in the country.

He had apprised the Parliament about the aircraft that are currently grounded due to engine issues, which he said caused an additional burden to the overall fleet.

"There are 800 odd planes in the country. And because of the (some) engine issue, almost 120 planes are grounded, and they are not able to fly. Because of the lack of the aircraft that we have in our fleet, there is a lot of additional burden on the existing aircraft - which is also driving up the prices," he had asserted.

"One happy thing all must know, we have 1200 aircraft on order, the highest in the world. We are ensuring that they are coming on time, they are delivered on time. We are ensuring from the ministry whatever best we can do," he had said.