Starting from June 1, flights within the country are set to become costlier. The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) recently has decided a major bump on domestic airfares from 13 percent to 16 percent.
This is the first time the government has cut the capacity ceiling on flights since domestic operations resumed on May 25 last year.
• The lower limit for flights under 40 minutes of duration will be increased from Rs. 2,300 to Rs. 2,600 — a hike of 13 percent.
• Flights with a duration between 40 minutes and 60 minutes will have a lower limit of Rs. 3,300 instead of the current Rs. 2,900.
• Lower Limits for Domestic flights of duration between –
• 60-90 minutes – Rs. 4000
• 90-120 minutes – Rs. 4,700
• 120-150 minutes – Rs. 6,100
• 150-180 minutes – Rs. 7,400
• 180-210 minutes – Rs. 8,700.
Reason for increase in domestic airfares:
• The government has increased the fare limits on account of rise in fuel costs.
• The increase in airfares has also been attributed to the capacity of the load factors of the passengers. The sudden increase of Covid positive cases in the second wave of the Covid 19 pandemic showed a decrease in domestic air travel.
However, the ministry in its notification has made it clear that the domestic airfare limit will not include taxes and Airport Development Fees (ADF). All these taxes will have to be paid by the passengers.
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