From Rs 2,000 to Rs 18,600: Here's how much air tickets will cost you

In the case of a Delhi-Mumbai flight, the minimum fare will be Rs 3,500 and the maximum Rs 10,000. Here is the maths of how much air tickets will cost passengers as domestic air travel resumes.

To ensure affordable air ticket fares for passengers and at the same time maintain financial viability for airlines in the times of the coronavirus pandemic, the government has capped air fares for three months. This is the first time since fares were deregulated in 1994 that a government has decided to interfere with pricing of air tickets. While announcing the resumption of air transport from March 25, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said there would be fare caps and floor prices based on flight duration

How are the flight fares going to be fixed?

The flight routes have been divided into seven bands based on the flight duration. The first band, which would have its specific lower and upper limits of air fare, will consist of flights that are of less than 40 minutes. Second, third, fourth and fifth bands of upper limits would be of flights with durations of 40-60 minutes, 60-90 minutes, 90-120 minutes and 120-150 minutes, respectively.

Methodology of ticket fares: 40 per cent of the seats in any flight would have to be sold at the mid-point of the lower and upper air fare limits prescribed for any route by the authorities.

In the case of a Delhi-Mumbai flight, the minimum fare will be Rs 3,500 and the maximum fare will be Rs 10,000. Thus, for a Delhi-Mumbai flight having a total of 180 seats, the ticket fares will range between Rs 3,500 and Rs 10,000. Moreover, at least 72 seats (or 40 per cent of all seats) will have to be sold at a price less than Rs 6700.