Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed concern over steep rise in airfares during festive seasons, following which the Civil Aviation Ministry is looking at ways to curb such instances. According to a senior Ministry official, the Prime Minister asked whether there is a way to handle hike in airfare. <br/><br/>The Ministry is looking at various options to address the issue, the official said even as he noted that regulating airfares would not be a way out. The official disclosed that the Prime Minster received representations from some Indians residing in the UAE on his recent visit to the Arab country.The Indians residing there, pointed out that fares are being hiked by airlines during festivals like Onam, making it difficult for them to go home. <br/><br/>When asked about how the matter could be addressed without regulating airfares, the official said one of the options would be to encourage the use of unutilised bilateral rights with other countries. Utilising bilateral rights would result in increased availability of seats, which in turn can help reduce the airfares, he added. <br/><br/>Last week, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma had said the issue of predatory pricing was a concern of a majority of Parliamentarians and as well as the Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed concern over steep rise in airfares during festive seasons, following which the Civil Aviation Ministry is looking at ways to curb such instances. According to a senior Ministry official, the Prime Minister has asked whether there is a way to handle hike in airfare. <br/><br/>The Ministry is looking at various options to address the issue, the official said even as he noted that regulating airfares would not be a way out. A senior official in the Ministry disclosed that the Prime Minster received representations from some Indians residing in the UAE on his recent visit to the Arab country.<br/><br/>The Indians residing there, pointed out that fares are being hiked by airlines during festivals like Onam, making it difficult for them to go home. <br/><br/>When asked about how the matter could be addressed without regulating airfares, the official said one of the options would be to encourage the use of unutilised bilateral rights with other countries. <br/><br/>Utilising bilateral rights would result in increased availability of seats, which in turn can help reduce the airfares, he added. <br/><br/>Last week, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma had said the issue of predatory pricing was a concern of a majority of Parliamentarians and as well as the Prime Minister.