New Delhi: During the festival season, airfares are increasing on domestic routes, with prices rising by 10-15 percent for Diwali and 20-25 percent higher for specific flights to Kerala cities for Onam, as per a study. A study conducted by travel website ixigo for PTI revealed that the typical one-way economy class price for a direct flight from Delhi to Chennai between October 30 and November 5 is 25 per cent more expensive at Rs 7,618. This is in contrast to the fare from November 10-16 of the previous year.
During the same period of comparison, the ticket prices increased by 21 pc to Rs 5,162 for Mumbai-Hyderabad route, and by 19 pc to Rs 5,999 and Rs 4,930 for Delhi-Goa and Delhi-Ahmedabad routes, respectively. Fares on some other routes are higher by 1-16 per cent, according to the study.
Rajnish Kumar, the Group Co-CEO of ixigo, stated that there is an increase in travel demand for Diwali this year, with airfares being higher than those of the previous year. He stated that well-known routes such as Delhi-Chennai, Mumbai-Bengaluru, and Delhi-Hyderabad are experiencing average one-way prices of Rs 4,000-5,000, with a Y-o-Y increase of 10-15 percent as the festival draws near. Conversely, prices have decreased by 1 to 27 percent on specific routes during the same comparison period.
The cost of flying from Mumbai to Ahmedabad has dropped by 27 pc to Rs 2,508, but the price has decreased by 25 pc to Rs 4,890 for Mumbai to Udaipur flights. The analysis revealed that the cost of the Bengaluru-Hyderabad flight has decreased by 23 pc to Rs 3,383, and the Mumbai-Jammu flight has also seen a 21 pc drop to Rs 7,826. Additionally, a study of airfare patterns on specific routes for the upcoming festival in Kerala revealed a rise in prices. Simultaneously, there has been a decrease of approximately 6-35 per cent in ticket prices for certain routes.
The average one-way fare for non-stop flights from September 6-15 this year is being compared to the fares during the Onam celebration period of August 20-29, 2023.
There has been a 30 per cent increase in the fare for the Hyderabad-Thiruvananthapuram flight, which now costs Rs 4,102 for the specified comparison period. There is also a comparable hike in the price of Mumbai-Calicut flight, costing Rs 4,448. There has been a significant increase in travel interest for the Onam celebrations this year, with flight reservations and travel searches to Kerala in the second week of September doubling from the previous year. Rajnish Kumar stated that airfares to important cities such as Cochin, Calicut, and Thiruvananthapuram have increased by 20-25 percent annually.
Concerns about expensive airfares, particularly during peak and festival seasons, have continued to be an issue. In light of this situation, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu informed Lok Sabha this month that the ministry is considering implementing an online system to handle complaints and prevent passengers from being taken advantage of by unjustified fare increases.
After the Air Corporation Act was repealed in March 1994, the government no longer sets or controls airfares according to current rules. In the previous month, the ministry informed Rajya Sabha that airlines have been instructed to self-regulate and be mindful in controlling air ticket prices.
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