Economy-class Delhi-London flight fares range from Rs. 1.03-1.47L: Aviation Ministry
What's the story
An economy-class ticket on the Delhi-London flight has been available for between Rs. 1.03 lakh and Rs. 1.47 lakh, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said on Sunday. "There are media reports claiming India-UK one-way economy class fares have touched Rs. four lakh. These reports have no proven basis. The veracity of Shri Sanjeev Gupta's claim has been thoroughly checked by DGCA," the ministry tweeted.
Information
Here is the fare offered by Indian carriers, UK carriers
"The fares offered on the Delhi-London sector (Economy class) range from Rs. 1.03-1.21 lakh for Indian carriers and Rs. 1.28-1.47 lakh for UK carriers for travel during August 2021," the ministry said.
Twitter Post
Here is what the ministry tweeted about flight fares
The fares offered on the Delhi-London sector (Economy class) range from 1.03-1.21 lakhs for Indian carriers and 1.28-1.47 lakhs for UK carriers for travel during August 2021.
— MoCA_GoI (@MoCA_GoI) August 8, 2021
Details
An official had earlier complained about high ticket fares
On Saturday, Sanjeev Gupta, Secretary, Inter-State Council Secretariat, Union Home Ministry, had tweeted that an economy-class ticket on British Airways's Delhi-London flight for August 26 was priced Rs. 3.95 lakh. He complained that economy-class ticket on Delhi-London flights of Vistara and Air India for August 26 was also priced between Rs. 1.2 lakh and Rs. 2.3 lakh amid college admission time in the UK.
Twitter Post
Here is what the official had tweeted
Fare of ₹ 3.95 lakh one way Delhi to London on Aug 26. No, it's not 1st class. It's economy on @British_Airways. @airindiain @airvistara etc. also 1.2 to 2.3 lakh. College admission time! See minimum fare on @GoogleTravel in August. Have alerted Secretary @MoCA_GoI. @JM_Scindia pic.twitter.com/uxFF8dgaLk
— Sanjeev Gupta (@sanjg2k1) August 7, 2021
Information
DGCA had asked airlines to submit details about their fares
Gupta stated that he has "alerted" Union Civil Aviation Secretary PS Kharola about this matter. After Gupta's Twitter post, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) asked the airlines that operate India-UK flights currently to submit details about their fares.
International passenger flights
Limited special international passenger flights operating since July 2020
While there have been lower and upper limits on all domestic airfares since May 2020, no such limits have been imposed on international airfares. Scheduled international flights have been suspended in India since March 2020, amid the coronavirus pandemic. However, limited special international passenger flights have been operating since July 2020 under the air bubble arrangements formed with 28 countries including the UK
Vistara
Pricing is always a function of supply and demand: Vistara
Notably, Vistara, which currently operates flights on Delhi-London as well as the Mumbai-London route, said on Sunday, "Pricing is always a function of supply and demand." "There are only 15 flights a week allowed currently on India-UK route for Indian carriers and when there is relaxation and more capacity allowed, it will automatically bring down prices," it said.