India: Amid IndiGo flight cancellations, the Civil Aviation Ministry on Saturday, December 6, announced the implementation of fare caps for airlines to curb unusually high ticket prices during the ongoing disruption. According to the official notification, the minitry stated that the domestic scheduled airlines shall not charge the fare from the passengers more then the limits specified.
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The Aviation Ministry has fixed maximum airfares based on distance slabs: up to 500 km, the cap is Rs 7,500; for 500–1000 km, the limit is Rs 12,000; for 1000–1500 km, the maximum fare is Rs 15,000; and for routes above 1500 km, the cap is Rs 18,000.
This comes as budget carrier, IndiGo, is facing several flight cancellations over the past few days. So far, 400 flights have been cancelled by IndiGo on Saturday, leaving thousands of passengers stranded at major airports across the country.
The ministry in its official notification said, "To safeguard passengers from opportunistic pricing during the ongoing disruption, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has invoked regulatory measures to ensure fair and reasonable airfares across affected routes. Strict fare caps have been enforced to protect citizens, especially those who urgently need to travel. We are closely monitoring fare levels and will take immediate action against any violation in public interest."
Centre's Issues Strict Directives To IndiGo
MoCA directed the carrier to clear all pending passenger refunds by 8 pm on December 7, as cancellations and delays by the airline entered day 5 today. The Ministry also asked the airline not to levy any rescheduling charges for passengers whose flights were cancelled.
The Ministry said that any delay or non-compliance in refund processing would invite immediate regulatory action. Shortly after, MoCA's directives, IndiGo said that all refunds for passengers' cancellations will be processed automatically to their original mode of payment.
