Flyers fear rise in airfare

PATNA: Flyers may have to shell out more money for flight tickets as airfares are likely to increase in the coming days as the ministry of civil aviation has announced to remove the fare caps from August 31.
The maximum and minimum fare caps were imposed on domestic airlines in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, so that the airlines could not charge more money from the passengers.
If the airfares increase it will affect the travel plan of people who are looking forward to return home in Bihar during Diwali and Dussehra in October and November.
Binay Kumar, a frequent flyer, said the airfare is already high and if the caps are removed, prices will further increase and it may affect the passenger footfall. "Recently, I paid around Rs 6,200, including all charges and seat booking, for a travel between Patna and Delhi. The base fare was up to Rs 3,800 to 5,200. During festive time, the price of flight will always rise up to Rs 10,000," he said.
"It is quite expected that the fare would rise as fuel cost remains above the pre-pandemic levels. Even though, there is a cap the cost of flight tickets remains high. The airlines reduce the price only on their own terms when the demand start to decline," said Nikita Singh, a resident of Boring Canal Road.
However, Anuj Kumar, a city-based travel agent, said after announcement of cap removal, the flight fare has declined for Delhi routes and it has come down to Rs 2,507 (excluding other charges) from Rs 4,989, when compare to previous day. "Similarly, airfare for Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Kolkata has also reduced by 20-40%," he said.
The executives of airlines, however, are not sure whether the removal of caps on airfare will lead to rise or decline in air tickets. "The decision will be taken by the airlines headquarters," the executives said.