Domestic air travel costlier by 12.5%

NEW DELHI: Flying within the country will cost more from Friday the 13th. The aviation ministry late on Thursday night increased both the minimum and maximum domestic airfare levels by 12.5%. The move came along with the government allowing airlines to operate 7.5% more domestic flights, raising their capacity deployment from 65% to 72.5%.

The government had on June 1, 2021, hiked domestic airfares by 15% while slashing flights within the country from 80% of pre-Covid level to 50% at the height of the deadly second wave. During the pandemic, the aviation ministry has been regulating both domestic fares and capacity. With that the second wave ebbing, the domestic capacity was first increased to 65% on July 5. Now capacity domestic deployment and airfares have been hiked by 7.5% and 12.5%, respectively.