Govt cannot cap festive Airfares, focus is on increasing capacity: Aviation Minister in Parliament

New Delhi: Union Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu on Friday addressed Parliament on the ongoing IndiGo flight disruptions and rising airfares, stating that the government cannot impose fare caps during festive seasons as it must maintain a balance between market demand and supply.

The minister said the government has asked airlines to increase capacity to stabilise fares. “The real solution to rising airfares is increasing capacity. We have spoken to airlines, and they are adding more flights. We did this during Onam in Kerala and during the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj,” he told the House.

Highlighting reforms in the aviation sector, Naidu said the government had intervened to stop airlines from manipulating tariff sheets. “Airlines used to do their own chalaki. We changed the tariff sheet system and ensured it is displayed to passengers. A Tariff Monitoring Unit has been set up in the DGCA,” he said.

The minister termed the UDAAN regional connectivity scheme as the biggest game-changer of the last decade. “People who never imagined having an airport in their area have one today because of UDAAN. We now have 164 airports, and are targeting 120 new destinations in the next 10 years,” he said.

Naidu added that three new airlines have been granted NOCs and two more have applied, signalling strong expansion in India’s aviation market.