New Delhi, November 2026 : The Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) has urged the Centre to intervene in the sharp rise in domestic airfares, seeking an upper limit on ticket prices and measures to prevent what it described as arbitrary pricing by airlines.
In a letter to Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, the trade body called for immediate regulation of airfares, alleging that ticket prices on several routes have increased by nearly 50 per cent over the past 15 days. The surge, it said, has made air travel increasingly unaffordable for ordinary passengers during the ongoing Chhath festival and the approaching wedding season.
CTI Chairman Brijesh Goyal said the steep rise in airfares was affecting business travellers, middle-class families and passengers planning to visit their hometowns for festivals and weddings.
He pointed out that the wedding season is scheduled to begin on November 20, while Chhath celebrations are already underway. Millions of people are expected to travel during this period, but rising ticket prices are forcing many families to reconsider or cancel their travel plans.
According to a survey conducted by the CTI, fares on several flights departing from Delhi have nearly doubled compared with prices prevailing a few days earlier.
The organisation cited fares of around Rs 18,000 on the Delhi-Patna route and Rs 20,000 on Delhi-Darbhanga. Tickets on Delhi-Mumbai flights were reportedly priced at Rs 15,000, while Delhi-Bengaluru fares ranged between Rs 16,000 and Rs 18,000.
Similarly, fares on the Delhi-Ahmedabad route were around Rs 11,000, while Delhi-Hyderabad tickets were reportedly costing between Rs 11,000 and Rs 15,000.
Goyal said the sudden escalation had placed an additional financial burden on passengers, particularly those travelling with families during the festive period.
The CTI has submitted five key demands to the Civil Aviation Ministry to address the issue.
First, it has sought immediate government intervention to regulate airfares and prevent excessive pricing during festivals and the wedding season. Second, it has demanded an upper fare cap on every route, ensuring that airlines do not charge beyond a prescribed maximum limit.
Third, the trade body has proposed a transparent fare-fixing mechanism based on the distance travelled. It argued that ticket prices should reflect the kilometres covered, rather than allowing similar pricing for routes with substantially different distances.
Fourth, it has called for an increase in flight frequency on high-demand routes, particularly Delhi-Patna, Delhi-Darbhanga, Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Bengaluru.
Finally, the CTI has urged the government to facilitate the entry of two to three new airlines to strengthen competition in the aviation sector and expand affordable travel options.
The trade body said these measures could help improve fare transparency and ease the financial pressure on passengers during peak travel periods.
(Disclaimer :The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
