Parliament Question: Assessment of route monopolization and action on airfare escalation

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 182 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 2nd February 2026 ASSESSMENT OF ROUTE MONOPOLIZATION AND ACTION ON AIRFARE ESCALATION 182. SHRI VIVEK K. TANKHA Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION be pleased to state:- (a) details of any study, assessment or data analysis conducted by Government on the impact of route monopolization by dominant airlines on airfares, passenger affordability and consumer welfare; (b) the findings of such studies, including identification of monopoly or low-competition routes and corresponding fare trends, details thereof, route-wise; (c) the regulatory, policy or competition-related measures taken to increase competition within the airline industry; and (d) the coordination undertaken with the Competition Commission of India or other regulators to monitor and address abuse of dominant position in route allocation and pricing? ANSWER Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION (Shri Murlidhar Mohol) (a) to (d) : The Government remains committed to promoting a balanced, competitive and resilient civil aviation ecosystem and will continue to review regulatory frameworks and policy measures as required to safeguard consumer welfare and maintain fair market practice. With the repeal of the Air Corporations Act, the Indian aviation sector has been fully deregulated, and airlines are free to operate flights and deploy capacity on routes based on their commercial viability and market considerations. At the policy level, capacity diversification is being encouraged through rationalisation of traffic rights, expansion of airport infrastructure, facilitation of fleet induction by multiple carriers, and broadening of regional air connectivity under the UDAN Scheme, which enables several airlines to operate on underserved and unserved routes. Commission of India (CCI) is a statutory authority entrusted with the primary goal to eliminate practices having an adverse effect on competition, prevent abuse of dominant position, promote & sustain competition, protect the interests of consumers, and ensure freedom of trade carried on by other players in the market. Recently, CCI vide letter dated 23rd December, 2025 sought information from DGCA regarding passengers carried, route information, market share and average airfares of all scheduled airlines. The requested information has been provided to CCI by DGCA on 13th January, 2026.******