India: Fare caps, protective suits for crew among rules as flights restart

Ticket pricing restrictions, protective suits and goggles for flight attendants and no food served on board planes are among the rules proposed by India’s civil aviation ministry on Thursday as it prepares to resume domestic flying within days. After a two-month coronavirus shutdown, India’s airlines will be allowed to resume flights with about a third of operations from Monday, but on domestic routes only and with rules that are among the strictest in the world. The regulations, in effect until Aug. 24, include full body protective gear for airline crew, temperature checks, face masks and shields for all passengers and a minimum and maximum fare band for airlines, the ministry said. “The rules are stringent but may be necessary as there is continuous escalation in infections. However, the fare cap is a bad and an unfortunate decision which will hurt airlines,” said Kapil Kaul, India head at aviation consultancy CAPA. India’s Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said the decision to regulate fares based on the flight’s duration was to prevent ticket prices from spiking as there is pent-up demand. For instance, for a two-hour flight between the cities of Mumbai and Delhi airlines will be allowed to charge a minimum fare of 3,500 rupees ($46) and a maximum of 10,000 rupees ($132), while ensuring that 40% of the tickets sold are priced below the median value.<br/>