Surge In Air Fares: Will It Dampen The Festive Season?

The festive season is round the corner and airfares are on the rise. Popular routes like Delhi-Chennai, Mumbai-Bengaluru, and Delhi-Hyderabad are witnessing a spike in fares, marking at least a 15 per cent year on year increase as the festival approaches. Union Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu earlier had promised to conduct an inquiry into allegations of abrupt fare hikes following complaints by MPs and a nudge by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. What NDTV has learnt is that there will be no price cap rule for the aviation sector, and that the Civil Aviation Ministry could suggest price monitoring whenever it witnesses a big surge in the air fares. There will be no imposition, but only feedback-based mechanisms to ensure airfares don't skyrocket, that is what ministry sources have told NDTV. Are surging airfares dampening the festive mood? That is what we try to make sense of, tonight, of the potential ways of dealing with it.