The Philippines has ordered AirAsia’s digital platform to stop selling airline tickets in the country following complaints it charged illegally high fares.
The authorities have asked the police to take down AirAsia MOVE’s website as part of a cease-and-desist order by the Civil Aeronautics Board, Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said at a press conference on Monday.
The aviation agency, which sets price ceilings for airfares in the country, says the company hiked its prices following transportation troubles in Tacloban City due to the closure of a key bridge to trucks.
“We will really put the full force of the law on these unscrupulous online platforms who are taking advantage of our people,” Dizon said, adding authorities will move to immediately file a case for “criminal economic sabotage”.
AirAsia MOVE, which is owned by Capital A Berhad and an affiliate of budget carrier Philippines AirAsia, said the discrepancies in fare displays for certain routes were caused by “temporary data synchronisation issues with flight pricing partners”.
The Malaysia-based digital platform “took immediate steps” and brought up the matter with the third-party pricing provider, it said in a statement.
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During the weekend, AirAsia MOVE charged 77,000 pesos ($1,780.30) for a one-way ticket from Manila to Tacloban City via Philippine Airlines, three times the price quoted when directly booking in the flag carrier’s website, transportation ministry data show.
“Clearly, this is just absurd,” Dizon said at the briefing. “What AirAsia MOVE is doing is criminal.”
