Air travel no longer luxury: Arvind Kejriwal slams Centre over airfare cap removal

AAP Convenor, former Delhi Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal, on Sunday criticised the Centre over its decision to remove caps on domestic airfares, warning that the move could push ticket prices beyond the reach of the middle class.

In a post on X, Kejriwal said, “Airfares are increasingly going out of reach for the middle class. The Modi government is removing the cap on airfares, which might trigger high inflation in ticket prices.” He added that the government should instead focus on regulating fares more efficiently, asserting that “air travel is no longer a luxury, it’s a necessity for the middle class.”

The remarks came after the Ministry of Civil Aviation on Saturday withdrew the temporary fare caps imposed on domestic air travel, citing stabilisation in flight operations across the sector.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) imposed emergency caps last year on domestic airfares following one of the country’s worst aviation disruptions in recent years.

The move came after IndiGo cancelled thousands of flights due to a pilot-rostering crisis, triggering a surge in ticket prices on busy routes and forcing the government to intervene.

Under the earlier imposed fare caps, one-way economy fares for flights up to 500 km couldn't exceed Rs 7,500. Routes between 1,000 and 1,500 km, such as Delhi-Mumbai, were capped at Rs 15,000, while fares for sectors over 1,500 km have been set at Rs 18,000.

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