Lok Sabha Question No. 1829 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-05
Subject: Increase in Airfare during Festival Season
Ministry: CIVIL AVIATION
Asked by: Shri Utkarsh Verma Madhur

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION Lok Sabha

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 1829

( TO BE ANSWERED ON THE  5th December 2024 )

## INCREASE IN AIRFARE DURING FESTIVAL SEASON 1829.    SHRI UTKARSH VERMA MADHUR

## Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION

be pleased to state:-

- (a) whether the Government has any scheme to resolve the issue of higher  airfare  during  festive  and  holidays  seasons  and  if  so,  the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government has any scheme to maintain uniformity in air fare throughout the year and if so, the details thereof; and
- (c)  the  details  of  the  airports  envisaged  to  be  developed  in  the country  based  on  solar  energy  in  line  with  Cochin  airport,  Statewise?

## ANSWER

Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL  AVIATION (Shri Murlidhar Mohol)

- (a)  &  (b):  With  the  enhancement  of  capacity  by  induction  of  more aircraft  fleet,  modernization  of  airports  and  development  of  new airports, domestic passenger traffic has increased to 153,674,310 in 2023-24 as compared to 136,028,656 in the year 2022-23. Even in the  current  financial  year  2024-25  upto-September,  the  domestic passenger traffic (79,345,065) has surpassed the volume (75,358,445)  during  the  corresponding  period  in  the  year  2023-24, reflecting a growth of 5.3%.;

;

Furthermore,  with  continuous  engagement  with  airlines  &  Online Ticketing Agents (OTAs) and keeping a watch on the movement of airfares  by  the  government,  the  airfares  have  moderated  in  2024

relative  to  2023.  The  airlines  have  also  been  sensitized  to  ensure reasonability  while  fixing  the  airfares  and  to  keep  passengers' interest  in  mind.  Notably,  during  festival  seasons,  a  decrease  in airfares was observed in various sectors. ; The airlines are mandated to display the Tariff Sheet at a prominent location on the home page of airlines' website. ; Directorate  General  of  Civil  Aviation  (DGCA)  has  setup  a  Tariff Monitoring  Unit  (TMU)  that  monitors  airfares  on  select  domestic sectors  on  random  basis  by  using  airlines'  websites  on  monthly basis to ensure that the airlines do not charge airfares outside the range declared by them. ; Airfares  are  not  subject  to  regulation  by  the  Government  and airlines have the flexibility to determine their airfares based on their operational needs, while adhering to Rule 135 of the Aircraft Rules, 1937.  While  the  government  generally  refrains  from  regulating airfares  to  maintain  market  competitiveness,  however,  it  remains vigilant, and the Government intervenes to shift capacity from one sector to another to prevent exorbitant pricing to ensure passenger comfort and welfare. ; The  airfares  are  dynamic  in  nature  and  follow  the  principle  of demand  &  supply.  The  trends  in  airfare  prices  in  India  exhibit considerable seasonality, prevailing fuel price, the capacity of the aircraft operating on the route, competition on the sector, season, holidays,  festivals,  long  weekends,  events  (sports,  fairs,  contests) etc.  Besides this, the pricing of airfares is significantly  influenced by  operational  constraints  at  airports.  Routes  experiencing  high tourist  demand,  are  subject  to  limitations  imposed  by  terrain, weather conditions, and restricted operating hours. The combination of constrained capacity and elevated demand leads to fluctuations in airfares. ; Given the complex  dynamics  of  the Indian aviation industry, Government is  playing  the  role  of  a  facilitator  by  way  of  creating enabling environment to support the growth of the sector.

; (c): Cochin airport in 2015 became the first airport in the world to be fully powered by solar energy, i.r. Green energy. Since then, 79 more airports have switched to 100% Green energy usage. State-wise list of these 80 airports is enclosed at Annexure.; ; Ministry  of  Civil  Aviation  has  advised  all  operational  airports  with scheduled  operations  and  developers  of  the  upcoming  Greenfield Airports  to  work  towards  achieving  Carbon  Neutrality  &  Net  Zero which inter-alia includes use of Green energy.;

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## Annexure

## State-wise List of 80 Airports using 100% Green Energy

|   S. No | Airport      | State             |   Year of achieving 100% Green Energy Use |
|---------|--------------|-------------------|-------------------------------------------|
|       1 | Vizag        | Andhra Pradesh    |                                      2023 |
|       2 | Vijayawada   | Andhra Pradesh    |                                      2023 |
|       3 | Rajamundhary | Andhra Pradesh    |                                      2023 |
|       4 | Tirupati     | Andhra Pradesh    |                                      2023 |
|       5 | Kadappa      | Andhra Pradesh    |                                      2024 |
|       6 | Tezu         | Arunachal Pradesh |                                      2021 |
|       7 | Raipur       | Chhattisgarh      |                                      2024 |
|       8 | Delhi        | Delhi             |                                      2022 |
|       9 | Goa          | Goa               |                                      2024 |
|      10 | Vadodara     | Gujarat           |                                      2023 |
|      11 | Kandla       | Gujarat           |                                      2023 |
|      12 | Bhavnagar    | Gujarat           |                                      2023 |
|      13 | Jamnagar     | Gujarat           |                                      2023 |
|      14 | Bhuj         | Gujarat           |                                      2023 |
|      15 | Rajkot       | Gujarat           |                                      2023 |
|      16 | Porbandar    | Gujarat           |                                      2023 |
|      17 | Keshod       | Gujarat           |                                      2024 |
|      18 | Kangra       | Himachal Pradesh  |                                      2021 |
|      19 | Shimla       | Himachal Pradesh  |                                      2021 |
|      20 | Kullu        | Himachal Pradesh  |                                      2021 |
|      21 | Jammu        | Jammu & Kashmir   |                                      2021 |
|      22 | Srinagar     | Jammu & Kashmir   |                                      2021 |
|      23 | Bengaluru    | Karnataka         |                                      2022 |
|      24 | Hubballi     | Karnataka         |                                      2022 |
|      25 | Belagavi     | Karnataka         |                                      2022 |
|      26 | Mysuru       | Karnataka         |                                      2022 |
|      27 | Cochin       | Kerala            |                                      2015 |
|      28 | Calicut      | Kerala            |                                      2024 |
|      29 | Leh          | Ladakh            |                                      2021 |
|      30 | Bhopal       | Madhya Pradesh    |                                      2023 |
|      31 | Gwalior      | Madhya Pradesh    |                                      2023 |
|      32 | Jabalpur     | Madhya Pradesh    |                                      2023 |
|      33 | Khajuraho    | Madhya Pradesh    |                                      2023 |
|      34 | Indore       | Madhya Pradesh    |                                      2023 |
|      35 | Nashik       | Maharashtra       |                                      2019 |

|   36 | Mumbai       | Maharashtra   |   2022 |
|------|--------------|---------------|--------|
|   37 | Jalgaon      | Maharashtra   |   2022 |
|   38 | Kolhapur     | Maharashtra   |   2022 |
|   39 | Pune         | Maharashtra   |   2022 |
|   40 | Aurangabad   | Maharashtra   |   2022 |
|   41 | Gondia       | Maharashtra   |   2022 |
|   42 | Akola        | Maharashtra   |   2022 |
|   43 | Sholapur     | Maharashtra   |   2022 |
|   44 | Juhu         | Maharashtra   |   2022 |
|   45 | Imphal       | Manipur       |   2021 |
|   46 | Dimapur      | Nagaland      |   2021 |
|   47 | Bhubaneswar  | Odisha        |   2023 |
|   48 | Jharsuguda   | Odisha        |   2023 |
|   49 | Puducherry   | Puducherry    |   2022 |
|   50 | Adampur      | Punjab        |   2024 |
|   51 | Pathankot    | Punjab        |   2024 |
|   52 | Bathinda     | Punjab        |   2024 |
|   53 | Amritsar     | Punjab        |   2024 |
|   54 | Ludhiana     | Punjab        |   2024 |
|   55 | Pakyong      | Sikkim        |   2021 |
|   56 | Chennai      | Tamil Nadu    |   2023 |
|   57 | Coimbatore   | Tamil Nadu    |   2023 |
|   58 | Trichy       | Tamil Nadu    |   2023 |
|   59 | Madurai      | Tamil Nadu    |   2023 |
|   60 | Tuticorin    | Tamil Nadu    |   2023 |
|   61 | Hyderabad    | Telangana     |   2023 |
|   62 | Begumpet     | Telangana     |   2023 |
|   63 | Kanpur (C)   | Uttar Pradesh |   2021 |
|   64 | Hindon       | Uttar Pradesh |   2023 |
|   65 | Gorakhpur    | Uttar Pradesh |   2023 |
|   66 | Prayagraj    | Uttar Pradesh |   2023 |
|   67 | Varanasi     | Uttar Pradesh |   2023 |
|   68 | Bareilley    | Uttar Pradesh |   2023 |
|   69 | Kushinagar   | Uttar Pradesh |   2023 |
|   70 | Kanpur (Chk) | Uttar Pradesh |   2023 |
|   71 | Meerut       | Uttar Pradesh |   2023 |
|   72 | Agra         | Uttar Pradesh |   2023 |
|   73 | Moradabad    | Uttar Pradesh |   2024 |
|   74 | Ayodhya      | Uttar Pradesh |   2024 |
|   75 | Pantnagar    | Uttarakhand   |   2021 |
|   76 | Dehradun     | Uttarakhand   |   2021 |
|   77 | Kolkata      | West Bengal   |   2023 |
|   78 | Behala       | West Bengal   |   2023 |
|   79 | Bagdogra     | West Bengal   |   2023 |
|   80 | Cooch Behar  | West Bengal   |   2023 |