Parl panel seeks mechanism to restrict surge in airfares

Several MPs cutting across party lines on Tuesday during a high-level parliamentary panel meeting sought a mechanism under which airfares should not be allowed to rise beyond a certain limit.

Addressing the lawmakers’ concern on multifold hike in air tickets, especially during exigencies and festival seasons, civil aviation ministry officials are learnt to have told them that there is a provision where during exceptional circumstances, the government retains intervention rights to keep fares in check. Citing examples, civil officials are learnt to have quoted instances during the Covid-19 pandemic, Maha Kumbh earlier this year or during natural disasters, when despite markets being liberalised, the government intervened to keep air fares under check and prevent excessive fare hikes to safeguard public interest.

The issue came up for discussion during the meeting of the Public Accounts Committee, which had met to discuss the issue of “levy and regulation of fees, tariffs, user charges on public infrastructure and other public utilities”. It had summoned top officials of the Civil Aviation Ministry, Directorate General Civil Aviation, Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India, Airports Authority of India, AAI and Bureau of Civil Aviation Security. Meanwhile, the committee was also informed that the probe into last month’s Ahmedabad Air India plane crash is still going on, and that the decoding of data from the black box of the ill-fated aircraft was done by investigators.