Train accident: Govt asks airlines to keep fares on Odisha flights in check

Rescheduling and cancellation charges on flights affected by accident should be waived off: Govt

Airlines should "monitor" the abnormal surge in airfares on Odisha flights and keep them in check, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) said in an advisory on Saturday.

"Further, any cancellation and rescheduling on flights due to the (Balasore) incident may be done without penal charges," the advisory mentioned.

A MoCA official on the condition of anonymity explained that the spot airfares on major routes such as Bhubaneswar-Delhi, Bhubaneswar-Bengaluru and Bhubaneswar-Kolkata are anywhere between Rs 9,000 -- Rs 17,000 and it has got the government concerned.

At least 288 people have died in one of the worst accidents involving three trains that happened at Balasore in Odisha on Friday night.

The Bhubaneswar airport, Odisha's largest, handles about 624 flights per week to and from 19 cities across the country. IndiGo, AirAsia India and Vistara operate about 56.7 per cent, 20.2 per cent and nine per cent weekly flights to and from the Bhubaneswar airport, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

"In view of the unfortunate accident in Odisha, the MoCA has advised all airlines to monitor any abnormal surge in airfares to and from Bhubaneswar and other airports of the state and take necessary action regarding the same," the MoCA's advisory noted.

With Go First stopping flights from May 3 onwards, the demand for seats on other airlines' flights has zoomed up and this has led to a significant increase in airfares across the country.

The MoCA had last month suggested airlines that they should keep fares at a moderate level. It had advised the airlines to make sure the upper ceiling for price tickets is not too high on routes where Go First was a major player.

"There should not be a huge gap between the upper ceiling and lower ceiling. The airfares should remain moderate" the official added.