Skift Take
Airfares in India are going through the roof bang in the middle of the country’s peak summer travel season. Is any respite in the near term likely?
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Amid the surge in domestic airfares, India’s Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia asked airlines to “self-monitor” the prices on certain routes, particularly the ones that have been most affected by suspension of cash-strapped airline Go First from May 3. In a meeting with airline executives, Scindia shared concerns over recent reports of “abnormal surge pricing on certain routes,” the Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a statement. “Airlines must self-monitor air fares on certain select routes that have seen considerable surge pricing of late, particularly those that were earlier being serviced by Go First…a mechanism for ensuring reasonable pricing within the high reservation booking designators may be devised by airlines. This shall be monitored by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation,” the ministry informed.
Earlier in April, the parliamentary standing committee for transport, tourism and culture summoned representatives of IndiGo, Vistara, GoFirst, Air India and SpiceJet to depose on the subject of exorbitant airfares. Airfares on certain domestic routes have skyrocketed in recent days, largely driven by summer travel demand, airline capacity constraints and suspension of Go First’s operations. On routes involving popular summer holiday destinations, airfares have jumped up b