DGCA to monitor flight fares from Thursday after India grounds all Boeing 737 Max 8 planes

Mar 13 (AZINS) Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will closely monitor fare movement from Thursday after India suspended operations of all Boeing 737 Max 8 aircrafts.

A day after India banned all Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft that are currently being used by airline companies in India, Ministry of Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola said DGCA will ensure that grounding of aircrafts do not to affect passengers or operations.

SpiceJet cancelled 14 flights in second half of the day on Wednesday. It operates more than 500 flights daily and has around 12 such aircraft in its fleet.

Kharola said that DGCA will monitor fares on dail basis and airlines have also agreed to check on predatory pricing following the last moment cancellation of several flights.

Spicejet issued a statement saying, "SpiceJet is rationalizing & optimizing the use of its Boeing 737 NG and Bombardier Q400 aircraft to address the current situation and minimize inconvenience to its passengers. We are evaluating options for augmenting capacity in the coming days through a mix of additional flights & aircraft inductions. We are sure that our operations will be normal very soon."

"Complying with the DGCA directive, SpiceJet has grounded its entire B737 Max fleet."

"A majority of passengers affected as a result of these cancellations have been accommodated by SpiceJet on alternate flights. Additionally, the airline is also offering passengers the option of a full refund, changing the flight/date of travel, or even change of destination (to nearest alternate airport); all this without any cancellation charges or any fare difference," it added.

India has joined countries like the UK, France, Germany, Malaysia, China, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and South Africa in banning the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft.