Cap on domestic flight rates to stay till May 31: DGCA

New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Monday extended till May 31 the fare cap on domestic flights, and kept the existing limit on capacity at 80% of pre-Covid levels

New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Monday extended till May 31 the fare cap on domestic flights, and kept the existing limit on capacity at 80% of pre-Covid levels.

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“In partial modification of circular dated 26-6-2020, the competent authority has further extended the validity of circular issued on the above subject regarding Scheduled International commercial passenger services to/from India till 2359 hrs IST of April 30. This restriction shall not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by DGCA,” it said in a circular.

The statement added that this was done in view of the Covid 19 situation in the country.

The Centre fixed fare bands when airlines resumed their services in May 2020 after the national lockdown in a bid to ensure that passengers were not overcharged. On March 19, Union civil aviation minister Hardeep Puri announced a 5% in the lower fare band due to rising Aviation Turbine Fuel prices.

According to DGCA data, 15.5 million passengers travelled on domestic airlines in February 2021, as compared to 7.7 million in January. Though domestic departures and total distance flown are still under pre-pandemic levels, they were steadily improving till February. DGCA on Tuesday also said it has approved 18,843 flights per week from 108 airports for the summer schedule, which begins on the last Sunday of March and ends on the last Sunday of October.