Civil Aviation Ministry hints at capping airfares

In a clear signal on capping airfares, the Civil Aviation Ministry on Thursday said mechanisms would be put in place to curb predatory pricing ways of airlines. The latest move comes against the backdrop of rising concerns expressed in various quarters, including by the Parliamentarians, over steep fluctuations in airfares.

Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma said on Thursday that something needs to be done on predatory pricing of airfares. He also emphasised that the efforts would be made with a consensus among airlines on the matter.

“We have taken some initiatives... The process has been initiated. We will try to evolve <g data-gr-id="15">consensus</g> 

among airlines and if they do not come on board, we will have to look at other options,” he said.

Urging DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) to put in place some mechanism to check steep variations in the price of air tickets could also be one of the options, he noted.