New Delhi, November 14, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) has urged the Centre to impose an upper limit on domestic airfares, alleging that ticket prices have surged by nearly 50 per cent over the past 15 days ahead of Chhath Puja and the upcoming wedding season.
In a letter to Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, the trade body sought urgent government intervention to check what it described as arbitrary pricing by airlines and make air travel affordable for ordinary passengers.
CTI Chairman Brijesh Goyal said the steep increase was affecting business travellers, middle-class families and people planning to visit their hometowns for the festival and weddings.
With the wedding season scheduled to begin on November 20 and Chhath celebrations underway, many families are facing higher travel costs, forcing some to reconsider their plans, he said.
According to a survey conducted by the CTI, airfares on several routes from Delhi have nearly doubled compared with prices prevailing a few days earlier.
The fares cited by the organisation include Rs 18,000 on the Delhi-Patna route, Rs 20,000 for Delhi-Darbhanga, Rs 15,000 for Delhi-Mumbai, Rs 16,000-Rs 18,000 for Delhi-Bengaluru, Rs 11,000 for Delhi-Ahmedabad and Rs 11,000-Rs 15,000 for Delhi-Hyderabad.
Goyal said the sudden rise was placing an additional financial burden on passengers, particularly families travelling together.
The CTI has put forward five demands to the Civil Aviation Ministry. These include immediate intervention to prevent excessive festival-season pricing and the introduction of a maximum fare cap on every route.
It has also called for a transparent fare-setting mechanism based on flight distance, arguing that ticket prices should reflect the kilometres travelled. The organisation further sought increased flight frequency on high-demand routes such as Delhi-Patna, Delhi-Darbhanga, Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Bengaluru.
Additionally, the trade body has urged the government to facilitate the entry of two to three new airlines to increase competition and expand affordable travel options.
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