Despite Covid, our airlines ran on a sustainable model: Scindia

Indian airlines have operated on a sustainable model despite the severe blow to the industry dealt by the Covid-19 pandemic and rising jet fuel costs, civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Thursday.

- Shriya Ganguly 

Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Scindia said that despite the impact of the pandemic and surging fuel prices, airfares have not increased in the same proportion.

The Union minister was responding to a series of questions by BSP MP Sangeet Azad and IUML MP Mohammed Basheer on the financial viability of airlines and surge in domestic airfares when he made the statements.

"Covid-19 has completely destroyed the financial viability of airlines, still our airlines have operated on a very sustainable basis," he told the Lower House.

"In the last three years, airlines have made losses (ranging) from ₹55,000 crore to ₹1,30,000 crore on an annual basis. Air turbine fuel (ATF) is close to 40% of operating cost of airlines. ATF prices have gone up three times, airfares have gone up nowhere in rationale," he added.