Domestic airfare limits to remain in place till March 31

The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Friday said that the lower and upper limits in the domestic airfares remain same till March 31. The order also said that airlines need to sell a minimum of 20 per cent of seats on each flight below the midpoint of the upper and lower airfare.

New Delhi: The upper and lower limits on domestic airfares will remain in place till March 31, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said on Friday.

The ministry had on May 21, 2020, placed these limits through seven bands, classified on the basis of flight duration, till August 24. Later, they were extended till November 24, and then till February 24, 2021.

"The capping of fare...is hereby further extended till 23:59 hours on March 31, 2021," the ministry said in an order.

The order also said that airlines need to sell a minimum of 20 per cent of seats on each flight below the midpoint of the upper and lower airfare. Till date, airlines were selling a minimum of 40 per cent of tickets for a flight below the midpoint.

Domestic passenger services resumed in India on May 25, 2020, after nearly two months of suspension to combat the coronavirus outbreak.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had on May 21, 2020, announced seven bands of ticket pricing with lower and upper fare limits based on flight duration.

The first such band consists of flights that are of less than 40 minutes duration. The lower and the upper fare limits for this band are Rs 2,000 and Rs 6,000.

The subsequent bands are for flights with durations of 40-60 minutes, 60-90 minutes, 90-120 minutes, 120-150 minutes, 150-180 minutes and 180-210 minutes.

The lower and upper limits for these bands are: Rs 2,500-Rs 7,500; Rs 3,000-Rs 9,000; Rs 3,500-Rs 10,000; Rs 4,500-Rs 13,000; Rs 5,500-Rs 15,700 and Rs 6,500-Rs 18,600.

PTI