IndiGo's crisis led to runaway ticket prices, which have led to high profits for the airline, but have proven to be a disaster for passengers. Some domestic flight tickets surpassed international fares. The suffering of the passengers sparked a nationwide controversy, after which the government capped airfares. Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu spoke in the Lok Sabha on Friday, addressing the entire crisis.
What did the Civil Aviation Minister say?
The Civil Aviation Minister informed the Lok Sabha that the government had capped airline ticket prices during emergency situations like the IndiGo service disruption. But this is not always possible. Ram Mohan Naidu said it would not be possible for the government to limit airfares across the entire country. He argued that a deregulated market ultimately benefits consumers. However, ticket prices generally increase during festival seasons, and that depends on demand.
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In response to a bill in the Lok Sabha regarding controlling airline ticket prices, the minister said that the civil aviation sector should be kept unrestricted for development. This would increase competition among airlines, and passengers would benefit from this, according to Ram Mohan Naidu.
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However, the minister assured that airline companies cannot operate based on will, as the government has sufficient power to intervene when necessary. He claimed that DGCA keeps adequate watch on this matter. In this context, the Aviation Minister mentioned the COVID crisis, Mahakumbh, and the Pahalgam terror attack. When demand for airline tickets was abnormally high during those times, the government exercised its monopoly power to intervene. The latest example of airfare control is the IndiGo crisis.
