Domestic airfare to get costlier, govt hikes cost up to 30% more

Air travel is likely to become more expensive as the Ministry of Civil Aviation on Thursday hiked the  airfare price by 10-30 per cent for domestic flights.

The hike in the airfare announced by the ministry would remain "in force up to March 31, 2021, or until further orders".

The government on May 21 last year —flight operation had resumed on May 25 after easing of nationwide lockdown imposed to check spread of Covid-19 pandemic in India — had airfares through seven bands classified on the basis of flight duration.

The first such band includes flights with a travel time of less than 40 minutes. The airfare for this band has been increased from Rs 2,000-Rs 6,000 to Rs 2,200-Rs 7,8000.

For flights of durations 150-180 minutes and 180-210 minutes, the airfares have increased from Rs 5,500-Rs 15,700 and Rs 6,500-Rs 18,600 to Rs 6,100Rs 20,400 and Rs 7,200Rs 24,200 respectively.

In May 2020, the aviation regulator DGCA had directed the airlines to sell at least 40 per cent of its tickets on a flight at prices less than the midpoint of the lower and upper limits. Back then, the government had asked the airlines to operate at a maximum of 33 per cent of their pre-Covid-19 domestic flights.