Govt imposes levy on flights

Government has decided to impose levy up to Rs 8,500 per flight on major routes to fund the regional air connectivity scheme, UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik), Civil Aviation Secretary RN Choubey informed in New Delhi, saying that the levy would depend on distance.

The levy amount would be for an entire flight and the price of each ticket could go up depending on the number of



seats in that particular flight. He said, it will be applicable only on scheduled domestic flights operating on major routes and excludes regional flights. Seeking to dispel concerns that the move would push airfares upwards, the Ministry said, it believes the proposed levy is a small amount but can go a long way in bringing more travellers and cities to the Indian aviation network. The scheme UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) seeks to connect small cities by air as well as make flying more affordable for the masses.