CPI urges Aviation Ministry to ensure reduction in air-fares

New Delhi, Sep 2 (UNI) The Communist Party of India (CPI) today urged the Civil Aviation Ministry to take necessary steps to ensure airlines reduce their air-fares as oil marketing companies have already curtailed the prices of aviation fuel.

The party expressed surprise that in spite of the reduction of aviation fuel prices by 16 per cent by oil marketing companies, the airline companies are reluctuant to reduce the air-fare on the pretext that they were incurring losses for the last few years, a press release issued here said.

''We termed this behaviour of the airline companies as unfair,'' the party said adding the reduction of fuel prices should be passed on to consumers at the earliest.

''The party wants to know from the government why the oil marketing companies are not reducing the prices of petrol and diesel as the prices in international market are reduced considerably.

If the prices of aviation fuel can be reduced, the fuel prices otherwise also can be reduced proportionally. If the international market prices were taken as a pretext to increase the prices of fuel earlier, the reduction of it should make the Petroleum Ministry to take needy steps to give relief to the people,'' the release added.

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