K Rammohan Naidu Reviews Airlines' Performance, Urges Reasonable Fares for Festive Season

Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu recently conducted a review meeting with airline officials to evaluate their operational and technical performance. He urged them to maintain reasonable airfares during the festive season. Representatives from airlines like Air India, IndiGo, and Akasa Air attended, presenting performance metrics and reports on security incidents and passenger grievances.

Focus on Passenger Convenience

During the more than five-hour meeting, Naidu stressed the importance of adhering to safety protocols. He also encouraged airlines to adopt best practices for passenger convenience and service quality. Detailed discussions were held with each airline to identify operational bottlenecks and address challenges. The meeting was timely, following two incidents involving Air India's Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.

Amid concerns about rising airfares during festive seasons due to increased demand, Naidu instructed airlines to ensure fares remain reasonable across sectors. Airlines assured that passenger convenience is a top priority and mentioned deploying additional flight capacities on high-traffic routes to meet festive demand.

Grievance Redressal and Monitoring

The civil aviation ministry's passenger grievance redressal portal, AirSewa, has been upgraded. This allows passengers to register complaints related to high airfares more efficiently. The minister also directed the aviation regulator DGCA's Tariff Monitoring Unit to keep a strict watch on compliance with declared tariff ranges by airlines.

Grievance redressal was a key topic at the meeting, with airlines urged to resolve passenger complaints qualitatively and promptly. Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha, DGCA DG Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, and other senior ministry officials were present at the meeting.

The periodic meeting aimed at ensuring airlines maintain safety standards while enhancing service quality. It highlighted the need for airlines to balance operational efficiency with customer satisfaction, especially during peak travel periods.

With inputs from PTI