In the wake of the prevailing COVID-19 situation in the country, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Monday announced that the fare cap on domestic flights would be extended till May 31 and the flights would operate with 80 percent of pre-COVID level passenger capacity.

The earlier announcement by the DGCA regarding price capping and flight occupancy was in effect till April 30.

In February, the central government had increased the limit on the minimum and maximum price band by 10 percent and 30 percent, respectively. The price capping was imposed on domestic flights in May 2020 to keep the ticket prices in check due to the limited operations, which were restarted after the initial two-month lockdown in a calibrated manner.

The price capping was decided based on flight duration in seven different slabs. The minimum and maximum fare limits for domestic flights were as follows:

Flights with less than 40-minute duration - a lower and upper limit of Rs 2,000 and Rs 6,000, respectively

Flight duration of 40-60 minutes- Rs 2,500 and Rs 7,500

Flight duration of 60-90 minutes - Rs 3,000 and Rs 9,000

Flight duration of 90-120 minutes- Rs 3,500 and Rs 10,000

Flight duration of 120-150 minutes- Rs 4,500 and Rs 13,000

Flight duration of 150-180 minutes- Rs 5,500 and Rs 15,700

Flight duration of 180-210 minutes- Rs 6,500 and Rs 18,600

After the February order, the upper price band on the 180-210 minutes flights was increased by 30 percent to Rs 24,200 from Rs 18,600 earlier. The lower limit of the fare for the flight duration of 40 minutes was increased from Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,200.

Earlier, the aviation regulator had approved 18,843 flights a week from 108 airports for the summer schedule, which began on the last Sunday of March.

Meanwhile, international flights are suspended till April 30 with the exception of scheduled flights on selected routes, to be decided by the competent authority on a case-to-case basis.

“This restriction shall not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by DGCA,” a circular stated last month.

First Published:Apr 26, 2021 10:15 PM IST