Average spot airfares drop up to 33% in a week: Aviation ministry

Fares on the Mumbai-Delhi route (for travel on Wednesday), however, increased 29% to Rs 7,394 as compared to last week

Average spot airfares on nine routes flown by Go First declined by up to 33 per cent compared to last week, the civil aviation ministry said in its analysis on Tuesday.

Go First operated about 200 daily flights before halting operations on May 2. The cancellations resulted in a spike in airfares, prompting public uproar and ministry intervention.

Average spot fare on the Leh-Delhi route for travel on Wednesday (booked on Tuesday) declined 33 per cent to Rs 14,133 over the last week, the ministry’s analysis shows. Similarly, on Delhi-Leh, Delhi-Mumbai, and Delhi-Ahmedabad routes, the drop in fares was in the range of 26-28 per cent.

Fares on the Mumbai-Delhi route (for travel on Wednesday), however, increased 29 per cent to Rs 7,394 as compared to last week.

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has faced criticism from the Opposition “for not doing enough to protect customers’ interest”. Scindia, on his part, said the ministry not only took cognizance of the issue, but intervened by sending strict advisories to airlines to self-regulate fares. “DGCA is closely monitoring the same,” he tweeted.