Thaindian News

New Delhi, May 2 (IANS) Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Monday directed private airlines not to take advantage of the Air India pilots’ strike by hiking air fares.

The DGCA also granted the carriers permission to temporarily operate on some routes of the national carrier.

“They have been told not to hike airfares above the maximum limit of the price brackets which are on all the airlines websites for passengers’ convenience. This also applies for any last-minute booking as well. It is illegal and won’t be allowed,” E.K Bharat Bhushan, director general of DGCA, told IANS after his meeting with the managements of private airlines.

The move comes as passengers booked on cancelled Air India flights complained of 75 to 90 percent hike in air fares charged for last minute bookings.

In Delhi-Mumbai sector, some passengers complained that the base fare of Rs.2,400-Rs.3,000 for last-minute bookings had been jacked up to as much as Rs.7,500 by some carriers, resulting in a one-way cost of Rs.11,500, including various levies.

Earlier, the DGCA had directed all airlines to maintain a list of air ticket price brackets and to publish them on their websites and in national dailies.

The DGCA, however, granted permission to private airlines to operate flights on some of the routes where Air India operated before the strike to lessen the impact of flight cancellation on passengers.

“I have allowed them to temporarily operate flights on some of the routes of Air India. This is being done so that the impact of strike does not hassle passengers more and that seats on these routes can be increased,” said Bhushan adding that the airlines will submit their new flights plans by Tuesday.

Bhushan added that private airlines have enough capacity to take care of passengers travelling on Air India which has a domestic market share of 16 percent.

Earlier, low-cost carrier SpiceJet offered to support the passengers travelling on Air India by accommodating requests from Air India in this regard.

“Passengers need all possible support from the aviation industry to ensure that their travel happens with minimal disruption and their faith in the Indian aviation industry is maintained,” said Neil Mills, chief executive of SpiceJet.

The pilots’ strike, which started Tuesday midnight, has since caused cancellation and re-scheduling of around 700 flights and a revenue loss of about Rs.58 crore.