Ranchi, Jan. 5: Flying from Ranchi will now be pocket friendly.

Major carriers have slashed airfare substantially. Air India has cut down the fare for Ranchi-Delhi route by Rs 1,480, Kingfisher Airlines has reduced it by Rs 2,036 and MDLR has by Rs 250.

However, this is only for the low-fare category.

For Air India, the Ranchi-Delhi passenger would now have to pay Rs 4,925 for XFS (non-refundable) tickets as compared to Rs 6,405 earlier. Similarly, in the AP7 (7 days advance booking), passengers would have to pay Rs 4,625 against Rs 5,325 while for AP14 tickets (14 days advance booking), passengers would have to pay Rs 4,175 against Rs 4,925.

Air India has not made any change in fares for the Ranchi-Mumbai sector yet.

Airline officials said the fare cut has been to keep frequent fliers interested during the economic slump. The cut in petroleum prices could also be a reason for the decrease in airfare. “The fare in certain categories is to ensure that passengers are benefited during the time of recession,” said Pramod Bhuiyan, the area manager at Air India, Ranchi.

Kingfisher has cut its Ranchi-Calcutta fare from Rs 3,170 to Rs 2,675 while MDLR’s new fare is Rs 2,375 against Rs 3,125 earlier.

In the Ranchi-Patna sector, Kingfisher has slashed the fare by Rs 1,135 to Rs 2,375. While its new fare for Ranchi-Chandigarh is Rs 5,375 as compared to Rs 5,625.

Air India has implemented the new fare chart from yesterday while for Kingfisher and MDLR the changes had come into effect a fortnight ago.

Only three airlines — Air India, Kingfisher and MDLR — operate from the Birsa Munda Airport in Ranchi. The Ranchi-Mumbai sector is covered by Air India alone while all three operate in the Ranchi-Delhi sector.

Kingfisher and MDLR operate between Ranchi and Calcutta while only the former connects the Ranchi-Patna sector.