Renewing his pitch for making air travel cheaper, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel has asked air carriers including, Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines, to cut fares in response to the government’s support to the industry.
kingfisher airlines
“Perceptionally, the government is trying to help you (aviation industry) to tide over the situation…It has taken the onus to help you. Now with the fuel prices coming down, you must match the perception that fares are coming down,” Patel said while addressing the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in New Delhi on Saturday.
He said the government also has a responsibility towards people and if there were no reciprocal gestures from the airlines to the steps taken by it to support them, it would fail in the public eyes.
Patel, when queried if he would ask state-owned carrier Air India to cut prices, said: “We have never dictated what Air India (AI) should do in terms of pricing or routes or capacity, but AI as a responsible government carrier will also understand that if the oil prices are coming down so should the fares.”