India's civil aviation regulator on Monday directed all domestic airlines to check the
exponential rises in air fares , even as demand declined in May by 0.87 per cent and stood at 54.48 lakh passengers.
According to the
Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the airlines were also directed to have a relook on the
route-wise airfares offered in the highest fare bucket, so as to rationalise phenomenally high fares.
"Scheduled domestic airlines have now proposed reduction of airfares in the highest fare bucket on various routes in the domestic network between five percent to 20 percent," an official statement from the civil aviation ministry said.
"Airlines have been advised to upload the revised tariff sheet on their respective websites."
The development comes as DGCA director general E.K. Bharat Bhusan convened a meeting with all the chief executives of domestic airlines.
Average airfare of the airlines had grown substantially even though the jet fuel prices had only gone up by 16 per cent in June 2012 compared to June 2011.
Huge variations in the highest published airfare by different carriers on the same sector were also noted.
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