Amid skyrocketing airfares, The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has extended the cap on domestic flights airfare till May 31. This move comes after international airfares have shot through the roof and several countries ban travel to and from India. The DGCA also limited capacity at 80% of pre-pandemic levels due to the rising number of Covid-19 cases in the country. This cap comes as a huge respite for domestic customers.
The Upper Limits Of Domestic Airfares Were Increased
On February 11, the Civil Aviation Ministry increased the lower and upper limits on domestic airfares by 10 to 30 per cent. The Ministry issued a statement informing that the new limits on domestic flights will remain in force up to March 31, 2021 or until further orders. Domestic airlines shall continue to deploy 80 per cent of their pre-Covid capacity till March 31, 2021. Read on to know more.
Domestic Flights Airfares Were Increased
Get ready to shell out more for domestic flights from now on. The minimum fare has been raised by 10 per cent. And the maximum fare has been increased by a whopping 30 per cent. According to this announcement, the first band consists of flights that are of less than 40 minutes of duration. The lower limit for this was increased from ₹2000 to ₹2200. And the upper limit was raised from the earlier ₹6000 to ₹7800.
Also Read: 5 Gross In-Flight Foods That Airlines Serve &You Should Avoid
Domestic Flight Fares Have Increased By Upto 30 Percent
The subsequent bands for these flights are set at durations like 40-60 minutes, 60-90 minutes, 90-120 minutes, 120-150 minutes, 150-180 minutes and 180-210 minutes. The Civil Aviation Ministry set up fresh upper and lower limits for these time bands on February 11. They are ₹2,800 – ₹9,800; ₹3,300 ₹11,700; ₹3,900 ₹13,000; ₹5,000 ₹16,900; ₹6,100 ₹20,400; ₹7,200 ₹24,200, respectively. Earlier, the lower and upper limits for these bands were: ₹2,500 – ₹7,500; ₹3,000 – ₹9,000; ₹3,500 – ₹10,000; ₹4,500 – ₹13,000; ₹5,500 – ₹15,700 and ₹6,500 – ₹18,600, respectively.
Domestic civil aviation operations on 10 Feb 2021.
We continue to be in the vicinity of the Pre-COVID numbers.
Growing steadily.✈️ 2,68,896 passengers on 2,327 flights
✈️ Total flight movements 4,657
✈️ Total footfalls at airports 5,37,529 pic.twitter.com/qqFTEHmYE9— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) February 11, 2021
Also Read: 5 Ways To Score An Upgrade On Business Class On Your Next Flight
These new limits will be implemented up to March 31, 2021, or until further notice. Domestic flights shall also be operated at 80 per cent pre-Covid capacity until March 31, 2021. So, if you need to fly from Mumbai to Delhi, earlier you’d have to pay ₹3500 to ₹10,000. Now, you’d have to shell out ₹3900 to ₹13,000. And these are just economy one-way fares. And they don’t include user development fees, GST and passenger security fees. The aviation sector has been badly hit by the coronavirus induced lockdown and travel restrictions. So, all Indian carries took various cost-cutting measures to combat this. To get a better idea about the airline industry, watch this interview with Etihad Airways India VP.