Skyrocketing Air Fares, Overbooked Trains Dull Holi Cheer for Those Returning to Patna for Celebrations

In news that could take the colour out of Holi, those returning to Patna by air from Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and other metro cities are forced to shell out more money as ticket prices have risen. Swati Suman, a judicial aspirant in Delhi, said: “I am not going to celebrate the festival with my family in Dhanbad as the rise in air fare has forced me to stay in Delhi. I don’t think I will be able to get train tickets in this rush so I have dropped the idea to visit my hometown this year.” Speaking to CNN-News18, an officer of Jai Prakash Narayan International airport in Patna said: “Passenger rush is at an all-time high in all airlines due to very high demand and seat availability. Civil Aviation Ministry lifted price caps in 2022 The government had imposed lower and upper limits on domestic airfares in May 2020, according to which airlines could not charge a passenger less than Rs 2,900 and more than Rs 8,800 for domestic flights of less than 40 minutes. In August last year, Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia tweeted, “The decision to remove air fare caps has been taken after careful analysis of daily demand and prices of air turbine fuel.