Parliament panel questions IndiGo, Air India on rising airfares

Dubai: A parliamentary panel raised concern over rising airfares, in a meeting with senior IndiGo and Air India officials, a source told PTI. Gulf News had reported earlier that both airlines were asked to appear before the committee on November 2.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Undertakings, chaired by BJP member Baijayant Panda, met the airlines in the second half of the day. Some panel members flagged high fares becoming a pain point for passengers. The officials from the airlines in turn pointed to the rising aviation turbine fuel prices and the Pakistan airspace closure.

IndiGo posted a loss of Rs1,879.1 crore or about Dh735 million in the September quarter, citing fuel costs and rupee depreciation. Air India’s losses nearly doubled in 2025-26. The airspace closure, in place since early this year, has lengthened many Air India flights and raised fuel burn.

With the Indian festival of Diwali around the corner, many expats choose this time to go back home. However, a last minute unplanned trip is sure to pinch the pocket. IndiGo raised its fuel charge on GCC flights to Rs 5,500 or about Dh215 per sector for bookings from October 6.

If we were to check airfares for a Dubai-Delhi flight for November 5, an economy ticket starts from Dh1,115 on Air India, Dh1,181 on Air India Express and Dh1,214 on IndiGo. IndiGo business class reached about Dh2,467. From Sharjah, IndiGo started at Dh1,034, while Air India and Air India Express ran from Dh1,695 to above Dh2,000

Besides rising costs, capacity is also becoming tighter. September domestic seat capacity fell 4.5 per cent at IndiGo and 8.8 per cent at Air India, which dented the numbers further for airlines.

The parliamentary panel members also met with officials from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) earlier in the day. During the meeting with directors general of BCAS and AAIB, discussed measures being taken to adopt global aviation practices in India and aircraft security, the source said.