"Civil Aviation Ministry has woken up at last": P Chidambaram welcomes Centre's decision to impose caps on airfares

Former Union Finance Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday welcomed the Centre's decision to impose caps on economy-class airfares, saying that the "only way to protect public interest is price containment."

In a post on X, the Congress leader wrote, "I am glad that the Ministry of Civil Aviation has woken up at last and capped the Economy Class fares. As long the duopoly in the airline sector remains, caps on Economy Class fares must remain in force. Absent robust competition, the only way to protect public interest is price containment. The overwhelming majority of the passengers must be protected."



The Centre on Saturday directed all airlines to strictly follow newly prescribed fare caps until the situation "fully stabilises."

In a press note, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said it has taken serious note of concerns regarding unusually high airfares charged by certain airlines during the ongoing disruption. To protect passengers from opportunistic pricing, the Ministry has invoked its regulatory powers to ensure fair and reasonable fares across all affected routes.

An official directive has been issued to all airlines mandating strict adherence to the fare caps that have now been prescribed. These caps will remain in force until the situation fully stabilises, the release said.

The objective of this directive is to maintain pricing discipline in the market, prevent any exploitation of passengers in distress, and ensure that citizens who urgently need to travel -- including senior citizens, students, and patients -- are not subjected to financial hardship during this period, it added.

The Ministry will continue to closely monitor fare levels through real-time data and active coordination with airlines and online travel platforms. Any deviation from the prescribed norms will attract immediate corrective action in the larger public interest, the MoCA said.

Since last week, the civil aviation industry in India has been hit by massive disruptions, with cancellations, severe delays, and the rescheduling of many flights by IndiGo, primarily due to a sudden shortage of pilots and crew following the implementation of revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms issued by the DGCA last year.

This has led to thousands of passengers facing significant inconvenience, long queues, and inadequate facilities, with some stranded at the airport for hours. Passengers have also urged the airline to provide timely updates and support to minimise inconvenience.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has formally issued a show-cause notice to IndiGo's Chief Executive Officer Pieter Elbers--holding the airline accountable for large-scale operational disruptions in recent days and pointing to "significant lapses in planning, oversight and resource management."

Meanwhile, the carrier has issued an apology following the disruption, noting that the carrier had "operated little above 700 flights yesterday connecting 113 destinations".