NewDelhi: The Ministry of Civil Aviation has announced that after reviewing the current status of scheduled domestic operations the government has decided to remove the airfare bands from flight tickets. Based on the information from the ministry the new rule will come into effect starting on 31 August 2022. The information was shared by the ministry’s official Twitter handle. It is to be noted that the bands were introduced in the wake of the pandemic with upper and lower limits as a temporary measure. Moreover, earlier Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia had mentioned that the airfare bands were in place to protect the interest of both the airlines and the passengers.
At the time Scindia also mentioned in Lok Sabha in a written reply that as a temporary measure during the coronavirus epidemic, the civil aviation ministry implemented airfare bands with upper and lower restrictions under the Aircraft Act, 1934. Additionally, he emphasized that the government neither sets nor regulates airfares under normal circumstances.
The notification from the aviation ministry said, “After review of the current status of Scheduled Domestic Operations viz-a-viz passenger demand for air travel in terms of purpose specified in the initial order Order No. 2/2020 dated 21.05.2020, it has been decided to remove the fare bands notified from time to time regarding the airfares with effect from 31.08.2022.”
In addition, the ministry also guided the airlines to ensure adherence to the Covid-19 guidelines to contain and prevent the spread of the virus. The notification from the ministry said, “The airlines/airport operators shall, however, ensure that the guidelines to contain the spread of COVID are strictly adhered to and COVID appropriate behaviour is strictly enforced by them during the travel.”
Bureau Report
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