There is no proposal at present to interfere with the existing regulatory framework on airfares, the civil aviation minister said in a parliamentary response on Tuesday. “Airfares are market-driven and are neither regulated nor established by the government, and airlines are free to fix reasonable tariffs based on the cost of operation, characteristics of services and reasonable profit,” Jyotiraditya M. Scindia said in a written response to a lawmaker’s question in the Upper House of Parliament on July 18.
He added that the Centre had notified fare bands for economy tickets for the scheduled domestic sector to ensure that the airlines do not charge excessive fares as an extraordinary measure during the Covid-19 pandemic.
