NEW DELHI: The Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) has written to Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu urging the government to take immediate steps to regulate rising airfares and stop what it described as arbitrary pricing by airlines, news agency IANS reported on Saturday.

Source: IANS via AsiaPost, Nov 14, 2026

~50%Rise in airfares in the last 15 days, per CTI survey
Rs 20,000Delhi-Darbhanga fare cited by CTI
Rs 18,000Delhi-Patna fare cited by CTI
5Demands CTI has put to the Civil Aviation Ministry

The Delhi-based trade body demanded an upper cap on airfares, saying ticket prices have surged by nearly 50 per cent in the last 15 days and are making air travel increasingly unaffordable for ordinary people during the Chhath festival and the upcoming wedding season, IANS reported. CTI Chairman Brijesh Goyal said the wedding season begins on November 20 while Chhath is already underway, and that millions who want to travel home for the festival and weddings are being forced to reconsider their plans.

Source: IANS via Sambad English, Nov 14, 2026

According to the CTI's survey, fares on several routes from Delhi have nearly doubled compared with a few days ago: Rs 18,000 for Delhi-Patna, Rs 20,000 for Delhi-Darbhanga, Rs 15,000 for Delhi-Mumbai, Rs 16,000-Rs 18,000 for Delhi-Bengaluru, Rs 11,000 for Delhi-Ahmedabad and Rs 11,000-Rs 15,000 for Delhi-Hyderabad. Goyal said the sudden increase is putting an extra financial burden on passengers, particularly families. These fare figures are the trade body's own survey findings, reported by IANS; the ministry had not responded in the reports available at the time of publication.

Five demands to the ministry

The CTI has put five demands to the Civil Aviation Ministry: immediate government intervention to regulate fares during festivals and the wedding season; an upper fare cap on every route; a transparent fare-fixing mechanism based on distance, arguing that flights of 500 km and 1,500 km cannot be priced alike; more flights on high-demand routes such as Delhi-Patna, Delhi-Darbhanga, Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Bengaluru; and two to three new airlines to increase competition and give passengers more affordable options.

The letter is the latest chapter in a running national debate over festive-season airfares. Earlier this month the Supreme Court declined an urgent hearing on a plea seeking a cap on soaring Diwali-season fares, and the Centre has notified new aviation rules that allow government intervention in ticket prices in extraordinary circumstances, due to take effect on January 1, 2027. Whether the ministry acts on the CTI's demand for an immediate cap remains to be seen.

Why it matters

Chhath and the wedding season are among India's biggest travel periods, with lakhs of migrant workers and families flying home. A near-50 per cent fare jump in 15 days, if borne out, hits exactly the passengers least able to absorb it.