Govt extends caliberated operations, price capping on domestic flights till November 24

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has announced that price caps on domestic flights will be applicable till November 24. This comes after Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, in June, stated that price caps on domestic routes will be applicable well beyond August 24.

The government resumed domestic passenger flights from May 25 after nearly two months of suspension to combat the coronavirus outbreak but placed lower and upper limits on airfares depending upon the flight duration.

It had said on May 21 that these limits would be in place for a period of three months. “Depending on how the situation turns out, the fare band may have to adjust beyond that (August 24) also. But right now, it is only for three months,” Kharola had said at a press conference.

Aviation Minister Puri had noted that the domestic traffic will reach the pre-COVID level of 2019 by the end of this year. “It is the most optimistic projection for any country,” he mentioned.On May 21, the aviation regulator DGCA issued the government-decided fare limits for these bands — domestic flights with less than 40-minute duration to have lower and upper limits of Rs 2,000 and Rs 6,000, for 40-60 minutes Rs 2,500 and Rs 7,500, for 60-90 minutes Rs 3,000 and Rs 9,000, for 90-120 minutes Rs 3,500 and Rs 10,000, for 120-150 minutes Rs 4,500 and Rs 13,000, and for 150-180 minutes Rs 5,500 and Rs 15,700.