Companies have promised additional flights.
People traveling on Diwali can get cheap flights. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has instructed the airlines to add additional flights on the major routes to prevent increase in air fares during the festival season. In a statement released on Sunday evening, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said, “It is the responsibility of DGCA to keep an eye on air fare during festivals and take appropriate steps if prices rise.”
After discussing with the airlines, DGCA said that companies have promised to add additional capacity to meet the increased travel demand during festivals. For example, IndiGo can do about 730 additional flights in 42 sectors, around 486 flights in Air India and Air India Express 20 sectors and about 546 flights in Spicejet 38 sectors. The ministry said, DGCA has taken active initiative and asked the airlines to start additional flights during festivals, so that passengers do not have to buy expensive tickets.
DGCA will keep strict monitoring
The time from October to December is most busy for traveling every year due to festivals like Diwali and Christmas. During this time, the prices of tickets on popular routes increase. The ministry also said that DGCA will keep strict monitoring on air fare and flight capacity, so that the interests of the passengers can be protected. According to Aviation Analytics firm Cirium, the Indian Airlines will operate 22,945 domestic flights in October, which is 2.1% lower than last year.
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India-China flight will start
India recently announced to resume direct air services with China, which will start from late October. This decision is being considered as another important step towards normalizing relations between the two countries. Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the SCO summit held in Tianjin (China) and also met President Xi Jinping. This step is the second major effort by India to restore regular contact with China. Earlier, the Government of India re -introduced tourist visa facility for Chinese citizens.