Top sources in the civil aviation ministry and DGCA confirmed on Sunday evening that airlines have indeed reduced average fares by 20 to 30 per cent in the past 48 hours, following the tough message that the government has been sending to airlines on the issue of airfares. This newspaper, on Sunday, reported the assertion of the president of the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) that airfares had fallen steeply between Friday and Saturday.
“Air-fares have fallen in the past two or three days by 20 to 30 per cent. Airlines appear to have acted on the warning of the government,” top ministry sources told this newspaper on Sunday evening. Sources said that the airlines are also expected to submit a revised list of peak fares charged by them on various sectors — in the next two to three days — which is expected to reflect the changed fares. Airlines had earlier submitted a list of (exorbitant) peak fares based on distance-wise slabs that was rejected.
In fact, director general of civil aviation E.K. Bharat Bhushan had conveyed a tough message to three low-cost carriers at a meeting on Saturday, saying that airlines must charge reasonable fares. The lowering of fares is being seen as an important success of the ministry and DGCA.
Civil aviation minister Praful Patel had also earlier expressed confidence that the exorbitant fares charged by airlines from passengers would be lowered by them.
In fact, the DGCA will also hold another meeting on Monday with representatives of full service carriers — Air India, Jet Airways and Kingfisher.
The government is anxious to ensure that airlines do not charge exorbitant fares from passengers during the Christmas and New Year travel season.