Maintain ceiling price for airfares important: NA deputies

Pham Thi Thanh Mai of Hanoi said that from the perspective of competition, the Law on Competition has provided a clear regulation scope and principles to ensure laws on competition.

As for the perspective of price, in the draft Law on Price (revised), it is necessary to keep the ceiling price for domestic airfares so as to ensure State regulations in the context that Vietnam does not have ideal conditions like other countries in terms of means of transport.

In the future, if other types of transport such as high-speed rail develop further, resulting in a decrease in the pressure on air travel, the removal of the cap could ensure compliance with the market mechanism.

Sharing the same view, Tran Van Lam from Bac Giang province said that keeping the regulation on the ceiling price in the draft law is a tool for the State to regulate prices to meet the statutory criteria of goods and services that are priced by it.

In a report on acquisition, explanation and adjustment of the draft Law on Price (amended), the National Assembly Standing Committee assessed that keeping the ceiling price regulation is necessary.

Along with the proposal to remove the bottom price, if there is no regulation on the ceiling price, it means that the State will give up the regulatory tool and let service providers have full authority to decide the service price.

If airlines were able to set air ticket prices by themselves, it would most certainly lead to high airfares, adversely impacting the interests of consumers, production, business, and society.