Air travel has become costlier, with the Union government on Thursday increasing the minimum and maximum fares an airline can levy on a given route.
The minimum fare on a route has gone up by 10% and the maximum by nearly 30%, according to the order issued by the Civil Aviation Ministry. The revised fares come into effect immediately.
The government has been regulating airfares from May 25, 2020, when domestic flights resumed after the nationwide lockdown. There are seven fare bands, which vary according to the duration of a flight.
The fare for the shortest flight (40 minutes) will now vary from ₹2,200 to ₹7,800, and the longest flight (nearly four hour 40 minutes) will cost between ₹7,200 and ₹24,200.
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The actual cost of a one-way ticket will be slightly higher, as the passenger will have to pay user development fund, security fee and GST.
Though the government has said that airfares prescribed by it will only be temporary, it has extended the validity of its order several times. The latest order makes them mandatory till March 31.
