India's anti-trust body to probe airfare hike

Friday, 13 February 2009, 14:35 IST
Printer Print Email Email
New Delhi: Fair trade practices body Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission (MRTPC) Thursday ordered a probe on airlines for hiking fares at the same time, saying it appeared to be a case of cartelisation. The MRTPC's investigative arm, the Director-General of Investigation and Registration (DGIR), has been asked to probe the issue, its spokesperson said, and added that it had taken sou-moto action following newspaper reports in this regard. "It appears to be a case of cartelisation and the DGIR would look if airlines have formed a cartel and increased fares at the same time. This should not have happened as the aviation fuel prices have also come down and reached the price level which was prevalent in 2005," the official told IANS. Earlier in the day, the aviation regulator also asked airline operators to explain the reason for hiking fares and the measures that would be taken to maintain transparency in airfare advertising.
Source: IANS
siliconindia