Airlines operate 59 flights from Srinagar; govt says airfares kept at reasonable levels

Airlines on Wednesday operated 59 flights from Srinagar, including seven additional services, to ferry tourists and bodies of 25 Pahalgam terror attack vicitms to their destinations along with 123 accompanying family members.

The Civil Aviation Ministry said air ticket prices on the route were being kept at reasonable levels amid a large number of tourists looking to return from Jammu and Kashmir in the aftermath of the terror attack, the deadliest in the Valley since the 2019 Pulwama incident.

A senior ministry official said 52 scheduled and seven additional flights were operated from the Srinagar airport on Wednesday to clear the rush of stranded passengers. Twenty-five bodies were sent to their destinations by flights along with 123 accompanying family members, the official said.

As many as 3,337 passengers flew out of Srinagar in 20 flights between 6 am and 12 pm on Wednesday. IndiGo, Air India and SpiceJet operated seven flights in addition to their scheduled services.

Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said on Wednesday that airline companies have been strictly instructed to avoid any fare surge. They have been told that charges were being monitored to keep those reasonable, he said.

His comments came against the backdrop of some websites apparently showing ticket prices of over Rs 50,000 for flights to Srinagar.

The country's largest airline IndiGo said that in view of the emergent situation, it has taken steps to keep the fares moderate.

Air India said fares for its flights from Srinagar to Mumbai and Delhi have been capped to ensure affordability.

"Any high fares shown on booking sites may be due to multi-stop routes or higher cabin classes, offering a mix of direct and indirect options," the airline said in a post on X.

The minister also emphasised that efforts were being made to ensure safe travel of tourists from Srinagar. Naidu said that all airlines operating from Srinagar have waived cancellation and rescheduling charges to support passengers.

At the Srinagar airport, a control room has been set up to help passengers with their journey.