Union civil aviation ministry is planning to impose a slab on private airlines above which they would not be able to raise the air fares during a given period.

Union civil aviation minister Ajit Singh said that a mechanism would be put in place that would not allow air fares to go beyond a fixed multiple of the minimum air fare during a given period. "There have been times when air fares went out of bounds for people. That will be checked soon," Singh said while speaking to TOI. 

Air fares spiral up exponentially during the period of high demand. After Diwali rush, fairs have again started looking as people plan to visit their favourite destination to celebrate the New Year bash. For instance, the fare from Lucknow to Goa may range from Rs 12,000 to Rs 42,000.

In fact, the travel has been structured in a way that different airlines come together to form a single package. The air fares of Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata-bound flights too are touching Rs 4,500; Rs 7,000 and Rs 5,500 per seat.For Patna-bound flights, air fares may be in the range of Rs 3,200 per seat but, a return ticket will cost you more than Rs 7,500 per seat in the year end.

High air fares were observed also during Diwali when prices of air tickets shot through the roof, often touching figures six to seven times higher than the normal fare. "The range between the lowest and the highest would be determined and fixed. The airlines won't be allowed to go beyond that," the minister said.

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