Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, who took office as the Union Civil Aviation Minister on Thursday, suggested that airfares might be lowered, acknowledging that they present a significant challenge for the average person.
He stated that the government’s objective is to make air travel accessible to all, which can only be accomplished by making it more affordable. “Since the time I have been announced as Civil Aviation Minister. Wherever I go, people have been mentioning that the prices have somehow increased over the last few years, especially after Covid. I need a thorough understanding of the issue, so, I am going to sit with the stakeholders.”
He added, “I am going to hold review meetings. Definitely, my intention would be to bring down the (ticket) prices because that is a challenge for the common man. Our intention is to take air travel to the common man, unless you make it affordable, it is not going to happen.”
On Sunday, Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu was sworn in as a Cabinet minister in Narendra Modi’s third-term government at the Centre. The 36-year-old leader achieved his third consecutive victory from Srikakulam in north Andhra Pradesh in the recent Lok Sabha election, defeating YSRCP’s Tilak Perada by a margin of 3.2 lakh votes.
Airfares on key domestic routes, such as Kolkata-Bagdogra, Delhi-Bengaluru, and Delhi-Mumbai, have experienced a year-on-year rise of up to 12.7% in May this year, according to data from Thomas Cook (India) and SOTC Travel.
Aviation industry experts have identified several factors contributing to the recent rise in airfares, including higher aviation turbine fuel prices, the depreciation of the rupee, a reduction in flights by major airlines, and planes being grounded due to engine supply shortages.
Civil aviation regulator DGCA approved nearly 6% more domestic weekly departures for the summer schedule in March compared to last year. It approved 24,275 weekly domestic departures across 14 airlines and 1,922 weekly international departures, marking a 5.1% year-on-year growth.
