The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) announced on Monday that it has extended fare capping on domestic flights till May 31. The DGCA has also decided to continue with the 80 per cent limit on domestic flight capacity till May 31, 2021. These announcements have come at a time when the nation is dealing with an unprecedented surge in COVID-19 cases.
Under the fare structure, air routes are divided into sections based on travel time. Each section has its minimum and maximum fare.
The statement added that this was done in view of the Covid 19 situation in the country.
The Centre fixed fare bands when airlines resumed their services in May 2020 after the national lockdown in a bid to ensure that passengers were not overcharged. On March 19, Union civil aviation minister Hardeep Puri announced a 5% in the lower fare band due to rising Aviation Turbine Fuel prices.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) announced on Monday that it has extended fare capping on domestic flights till May 31. The DGCA has also decided to continue with the 80 per cent limit on domestic flight capacity till May 31, 2021. These announcements have come at a time when the nation is dealing with an unprecedented surge in COVID-19 cases.
“The 80 per cent cap will remain effective till 11.59 pm on May 31,” DGCA stated in a circular. The DGCA, in its latest statement, has said that these changes have been made in light of the prevailing COVID-19 situation in the country.
The Aviation Ministry had set this limit of 80 per cent of pre-COVID-19 levels on December 3, 2020. It had not specified till what date this restriction will remain in place. The fare caps were imposed after domestic flights resumed in May 2020.
Earlier, the authority had given its nod to 18,843 flights per week from 108 airports for the summer schedule. This began on the last Sunday of March 2021 and will conclude on the last Sunday of October 2021.
Last month, the aviation regulator had extended the suspension placed on international flights till April 30. However, the DGCA’s circular had clarified that the suspension was not applicable to international all-cargo flights and on those flight operations which were specifically approved by the DGCA.
“In partial modification of circular dated 26-6-2020, the competent authority has further extended the validity of circular issued on the above subject regarding scheduled international commercial passenger services to/from India till 2359 hrs IST of April 30. This restriction shall not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by DGCA” read the DGCA circular.
All flight operations were suspended on March 23, 2020, due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Since, then domestic flight operations have resumed but International commercial passenger flights have remained suspended.(Edited by Mohammad Haaris Beg)
