Domestic air travel in India has now become even more expensive as the Ministry of Civil Aviation, from June 1, 2021, has decided to increase the fare on economy class tickets by 13 to 16 per cent.
As per reports, the fare hike was brought to effect from Tuesday and the passengers will now have to pay more for their commute. It is said that the number of passengers had reduced during the first and second coronavirus (COVID-19) wave, and this has incurred a huge loss on the sector, whereby the income of several companies has declined.
With this revised decision, the Civil Aviation Ministry hopes that the fare hike will bring relief to airlines affected by the pandemic. Moreover, though the price of an economy class ticket has been increased, the cost of other class tickets has been retained as is.
The Ministry had earlier changed the fare after the first two months of the COVID-19 wave last year, i.e. during May 2020. Back then, the authorities had fixed domestic air fares and the same wasn't changed since then. The capped price implemented last year helped several travellers in India during the lockdown.
Following the new hike, the minimum fare of 40-minute economy class flights has been raised by 13 per cent, i.e. from INR 2,300 to 2,600. On the other hand, the minimum fare for a 40-60 minute flight has been increased from INR 2,900 to 3,300.