India Caps Airfares as indigo Cancellations Disrupt travel
India capped airfares as hundreds of passengers gathered outside Bengaluru and Mumbai airports after IndiGo cancelled 385 flights on the fifth day of a crisis at the country’s biggest airline, crippling air travel.
IndiGo cancelled thousands of flights this week due to a shortage of pilots, stemming from inadequate planning for new rules limiting pilots’ work hours.
The government responded on Friday, announcing special relief for the carrier and operating additional trains to clear the backlog.
Delhi airport posted on X on Saturday that flight operations were steadily resuming, but cancellations continued elsewhere.
IndiGo’s cancellations caused fares to rise on flights operated by other airlines on popular routes. The government responded by capping fares to maintain pricing discipline.
The Civil Aviation Ministry stated it would “continue to closely monitor fare levels through real-time data and active coordination with airlines.”
India last capped fares during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
The government set a maximum one-way fare of 7,500 rupees ($125) for journeys up to 500 kilometres and 15,000 rupees ($251) for journeys between 1,000 and 1,500 km, such as New Delhi to Mumbai.
This is significantly lower than the 20,419 rupee ($342) price Air India advertised on its website for the same route on Saturday.