Imp-Ghy sector : Air India Express to cap airfare at Rs 6 K, hike number of flights

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Nov 4: After The Sangai Express brought to light exorbitant airfares from Imphal, Air India Express has decided to increase the number of flights and cap the fare for Imphal-Guwahati sector at Rs 6,000.
Air India Express is owned by Tata Enterprise and is a subsidiary of Air India.
This decision of the airline came following a "communication" between Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla and the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
"The Raj Bhavan Manipur" handle on Facebook said, "Following the Governor of Manipur's communication to the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), Air India Express has responded positively."
The airline has decided to cap fares for the Imphal-Guwahati sector at Rs 6000 and will soon operate two additional daily flights--one to Guwahati and another to Kolkata, said the Raj Bhavan.
Significantly, Air India Express is believed to have implemented the price cap.
When this paper checked the prices at 6.30 pm of November 4, the airfare of the Air India Express flights from Imphal to Guwahati on November 7 was found to be given at Rs 5399 . However fare for November 19 was given as Rs 6799, causing confusion amongst the people.
While the Air India Express has decided to enforce the price cap and increase the number of flights from Imphal, other carriers are yet to respond.
The airfare of Indigo flights from Imphal to Guwahati still remain high.
While the response of Air India Express is seen positively, many still believe that the price cap at Rs 6000 is still high.
The Rs 6000 price cap has sparked debates online on multiple platforms with netizens comparing it with airfare from other North East cities to Guwahati.
A netizen wrote, "Indigo and other airlines must follow, increase the number of their flights and introduce price caps".
"Putting a price cap is indeed a positive move from the airline, but Rs 6,000 is still a very steep price compared to Rs 1,903 airfare from Agartala to Guwahati," said a social media user.
Another netizen simply wrote, "Rs 6000---still not affordable!!!"
"Price cap isn't enough. People of Manipur will still pay more than their counterparts in other cities of NE," wrote one netizen.
"Make the price cap Rs 3000, then I'll be happy. Remember you are still paying higher than people from Aizawl, Agartala, Itanagar and other cities," said another.
"The Governor and his administration ought to do more for the people who are suffering economically after the conflict. Bring the price down, make it affordable," said another netizen.
Notably, The Sangai Express had earlier published a comparison of airfares for flights from NE cities to Guwahati.
Providing some relief, the Air India Express has introduced a price cap at Rs 6000, but Manipur flyers would still be paying more than their peers from other cities as shown in the table yesterday.
With highways remaining blocked since May 3, 2023, the only mode of travel remains air for people of Manipur.