New Delhi: The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has removed the temporary cap imposed on domestic airfares, effective March 23. This decision was taken following the stabilization of flight operations and the restoration of capacity.
These restrictions were originally imposed in December 2025. This occurred after IndiGo cancelled flights on a massive scale, leading to a severe shortage of seats and causing airfares on major domestic routes to skyrocket. Sources indicated that with the lifting of these restrictions, the mechanism for determining fares will revert to a market-based model.
While lifting the fare caps, the Ministry cautioned airlines to maintain fair and transparent pricing, warning of regulatory intervention should there be any unjustified hike in fares. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will continue to monitor airfares in real-time.
Earlier, on December 6, 2025, the Ministry of Civil Aviation had taken serious cognizance of concerns regarding certain airlines charging exorbitant fares amidst the prevailing disruptions. To protect passengers from any arbitrary pricing practices, the Ministry exercised its regulatory powers to ensure that fares across all affected routes remained fair and reasonable.
An official directive was issued to all airlines, mandating strict adherence to the prescribed fare limits. According to an official press release from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, these limits were to remain in force until the situation returned to complete normalcy.
The objective of this directive was to maintain market discipline regarding airfares, prevent the exploitation of stranded passengers, and ensure that citizens requiring urgent travel—including senior citizens, students, and patients—did not face any financial hardship during this period. The Ministry pledged to continuously and closely monitor fare levels through real-time data and active coordination with airlines and online travel platforms.
