Extortionary, predatory airfares not acceptable: Aviation Ministry

Amid rising concern over steep fluctuations in airfares, the Civil Aviation Ministry has said that neither "extortionary" nor "predatory" pricing of tickets is acceptable.

The Ministry is, however, yet to take a call on whether there is a need to assign thresholds for airfares.

"We would have preferred that airlines do not keep (ticket) prices high. We expect airlines to bring discipline on their own... Opportunistic pricing, whether it is extortionary or predatory is not acceptable," a senior official said today.

Interestingly, aviation watchdog DGCA recently said the average fare of domestic carriers during peak demand seasons was closer to the minimum fare.

"The average fare is closer to the minimum fare being offered by the airlines indicating that most of the tickets sold by the airlines are not at exorbitant price," DGCA had said after analysing the fare movements during 2014.

A section of parliamentarians has been demanding capping of fares by the airlines, accusing them of forcing the flyers to pay through their noses for air travel during peak travel seasons as well as emergency journeys.

Even Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma, on several occasions, has expressed concern over "high fares" charged by the airlines during such periods.

Meanwhile, the Ministry is seriously looking at ways to improve the services available for passengers at airports and during air travel.

The Ministry official said that options such as allowing boarding passes on mobile phones and introducing WiFi services during flight are very much under consideration.

Such measures need to be implemented only after ensuring that security is not compromised, the official noted.

The Ministry has been receiving suggestions from various quarters on ways to improve services for passengers in the civil aviation space.