PremiumThe matter came into light after Sanjeev Gupta, Secretary, Inter-State Council Secretariat, Union Home Ministry on Saturday raised the issue on Twitter that an economy-class ticket on British Airways's Delhi-London flight for August 26 was priced ₹3.95 lakh
Aviation regulator DGCA on learning about the massive surge in flight prices between India and the UK, has sked the airlines to submit details about the airfares they have been charging, according to a senior official.
The matter came into light after Sanjeev Gupta, Secretary, Inter-State Council Secretariat, Union Home Ministry on Saturday raised the issue on Twitter that an economy-class ticket on British Airways's Delhi-London flight for August 26 was priced ₹3.95 lakh.
He added that economy-class ticket on Delhi-London flights of Vistara and Air India for August 26 was also priced between ₹1.2 lakh and ₹2.3 lakh amid the college admission time in the UK.
Gupta said he has "alerted" Union Civil Aviation Secretary P S Kharola about this matter.
"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," read his initial tweet from a thread highlighting the rise in airfares.
While there have been lower and upper limits on all domestic airfares in India since May 25 last year, no such limits have been imposed on international airfares.
Vistara, which currently operates flights on Delhi-London as wells 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," according to news agency PTI.
Scheduled international passenger flights have been suspended in India since March 23 last year 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.
Meanwhile, UK recently moved India from its "red" to "amber" list, meaning, fully vaccinated passengers from India will no longer be subjected to compulsory 10-day hotel quarantine.
"The UAE, Qatar, India and Bahrain will be moved from the red list to the amber list. All changes come into effect Sun 8th August at 4 am," UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps tweeted.
"While it’s right we continue our cautious approach, it’s great news to open more destinations for people wanting to connect with families, friends and businesses across the globe, all thanks to our successful domestic vaccination programme," he said.
With inputs from PTI
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