Travel Sector Seeks Urgent Fix As Airfares Soar Amid Flight Chaos
Association president K. Vijay Mohan urged the civil aviation ministry and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to intervene immediately to protect passengers and restore operational stability: Reports
VISAKHAPATNAM: The Tours and Travels Association of Andhra Pradesh has issued an urgent appeal to the government of India after three consecutive days of major flight disruptions left thousands of passengers stranded and sent airfares skyrocketing across the country.
The crisis worsened between December 3 and 5 around 175 flights were cancelled on December 3, another 175 on December 4, and over 500 on December 5 marking one of the most severe disruptions to India’s aviation sector in recent months.
Airfares on key domestic routes have spiked dramatically. New Delhi–Visakhapatnam fares now range between ₹73,716 and ₹1,00,682, Hyderabad–Visakhapatnam between ₹10,468 and ₹33,769, and Chennai–Visakhapatnam around ₹49,033.
Association president K. Vijay Mohan urged the civil aviation ministry and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to intervene immediately to protect passengers and restore operational stability.
While the ministry has directed strict enforcement of fare caps with real-time monitoring and penalties for violations, Vijay Mohan alleged that airlines were not adhering to the norms.
As temporary relief, he suggested targeted exemptions for IndiGo from certain pilot duty-time rules, such as night-landing limitations.
He demanded a high-level inquiry into planning failures that led to the pilot shortage crisis and called for safeguards to prevent such disruptions in future.
The association also sought a review of the revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms to ensure safety without compromising operational feasibility.