New Delhi: Allegations of excessive airfares during recent flight disruptions have reached Parliament after former JD(U) Rajya Sabha MP and party adviser K C Tyagi highlighted a case in which his granddaughter was allegedly charged Rs 42,151 for a Delhi–Mumbai Air India ticket recently, despite a fare cap imposed by the aviation regulator. Following the complaint, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture has sought a detailed explanation from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
Tyagi said the booking was made for travel on December 7, a day after the DGCA introduced temporary fare caps in response to widespread flight cancellations and delays caused by IndiGo’s operational crisis. Under the DGCA directive, airfares for routes covering distances between 500 km and 1,500 km, including the Delhi–Mumbai sector, were capped between Rs 7,500 and Rs 18,000 until normal operations resume.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee, chaired by JD(U) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Kumar Jha, is scheduled to meet soon to review the matter. Reports quoting sources said the committee received a formal written complaint from Tyagi and has asked the DGCA to submit a detailed reply explaining how such high fares were charged despite clear regulatory limits. The panel has also sought information on other similar complaints received during the same period.
In a strongly worded letter to the committee chairperson, Tyagi said the disruption caused by IndiGo’s cancellations had exposed deeper problems in the civil aviation sector. He alleged that weak regulatory oversight and poor enforcement by DGCA officials allowed airlines to exploit passengers during the chaos, despite instructions that arbitrary fare hikes would be treated as a serious violation.
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Calling the situation 'brutal economic exploitation,' Tyagi said Air India had disregarded the notified fare schedule and charged more than three times the permitted amount on the Delhi–Mumbai route. He said he had submitted documentary evidence of the booking to support his claim.
Tyagi said his intervention was not limited to his granddaughter’s case. “I raised this issue for all passengers who were forced to pay inflated fares. I have urged the government to direct the DGCA and the airlines concerned to refund the excess amounts collected from aggrieved passengers,” he said as quoted by The Indian Express, adding that he also plans to approach Parliament’s consumer affairs committee. The DGCA has yet to issue a public response to the allegations.
