Domestic flights to become expensive as government raises airfare caps by 9.83-12.82%

The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation announced on Friday (August 13) that domestic air travel will become expensive as the ministry has increased the lower as well as upper caps on fares by 9.83 to 12.82 per cent.

According to the statement issued by the Civil Aviation Ministry, the lower caps were imposed to help the airlines struggling financially because of the shut down of services due to COVID-19 restrictions. The upper caps were imposed keeping in mind that the passengers are not overcharged for tickets when the demands are high. Notably, these charges are not going to be a part of the passenger's security fee, user development fee for the airports or the GST, instead, they will be added on top when the ticket is being booked by the passenger.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation on August 12, increased the lower limit for flights under the duration of 40 minutes from Rs 2,600 to Rs 2,900, which is an increase of 11.53 per cent. Likewise, the upper cap was also increased by 12.82 per cent that is Rs 8,800.

Flights with a duration of 40-60 minutes have increased the lower limit to Rs 3,700 and the upper limit to Rs 11,000. As the duration of the flight will increase the upper and lower caps on them will also increase accordingly.