DGCA, Aviation Ministry to discuss abrupt hike in airfares

The fares of some airlines went up by as much as 25 per cent post-Diwali

PTI | November 22, 2010



Concerned over abrupt escalation in airfares by some airlines during high demand, officials of the Civil Aviation Ministry and regulator DGCA would meet here soon to review the issue.

"The DGCA has been serious about it. We also expressed our concern and intervened... regarding sudden fare escalation (by some scheduled Indian carriers)," Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said here today.

He said officials of the Ministry and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation would meet soon to review the issue.

The fares of some airlines went up by as much as 25 per cent post-Diwali.

Patel's statement came days after the DGCA directed the scheduled domestic airlines to furnish route-wise tariff on their entire network in the beginning of each month, in a bid to prevent them from hiking prices abruptly whenever there was heightened demand.

In a circular, DGCA asked the airlines to "furnish a copy of the route-wise tariff across its network in various fare categories, in the manner it is offered in the market, to DGCA on the first day of every calendar month".

The circular said that any "significant and noticeable change" in the established tariff already filed, should be reported to DGCA "within 24 hours of effecting such changes".

The regulator also asked the airlines to publish air fares on their websites or in daily newspapers on a regular basis.

With suspicions towards cartelisation among airlines emerging after some of them withdrew their low-end air fares last year, the DGCA had then directed all scheduled domestic carriers to give details and justification for their decision to 'simultaneously' raise the prices.

In February 2009 also, the regulator had shot off letters to all domestic carriers asking for information regarding the hike in airfares and to ensure transparency through advertising.

"Insufficient and inadequate information available in the public domain on airfares" and reports of scheduled airlines charging excessive high tariff for flights across their network during the high demand period was "causing lot of inconvenience to the travelling public and drawing adverse comments on airfares", the latest DGCA circular said.

It also asked the airlines to maintain all records pertaining to established tariff in its office for inspection.

Comments

 

Other News

GI tags: Scaling traditional wealth into global brands

Geographical Indication (GI) tags have emerged as a powerful tool for protecting India`s cultural heritage, while creating economic opportunities for local communities. By linking products to their place of origin, GI tags preserve traditional knowledge, prevent misuse, and enhance consumer trust. They h

BMC: 207 officials in ACB net, 112 still on duty, 68 retire before justice catches up

There are significant delays in the handling of corruption cases involving officials of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), a Right to Information (RTI) response obtained by rights activist Jeetendra Ghadge has revealed. As of 30 April 2026, 207 BMC officials face Anti-Corruption Bureau (A

The transformation trap: Why efficiency is not innovation

Every company is transforming, or so it claims.   There was a time when the word ‘transformation’ carried weight. It signified bold strategic shifts, reinvention of business models, and breakthrough technologies that fundamentally changed how organizations created

The Sardar biography that throws light on our times

Patel: A Life By Rajmohan Gandhi Aleph Books, 568 pages, Rs 1,199   There are many biographi

Climate change, El Niño rewrite Indian monsoon

The month of July exceeded its rainfall target despite forecasts of a below-normal month under a strengthening El Niño. The reason could be that climate change is amplifying monsoon complexity: West Pacific warming, Western Disturbances and evolving ocean conditions increasingly interact with El Ni&

Mumbai has just 1.28 sq.m. of open space per person: Study

Mumbai`s public space crisis is as much about mismanagement as it is about scarcity, and offers a governance roadmap that can be implemented without new legislation, according to a new report by the Urban Design Research Institute (UDRI) and the NGO Alliance for Governance and Renewal (NAGAR).  

Upcoming Conferences



-->

Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter