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Festive travel may burn a hole in your pocket! Airfares across India have skyrocketed, with major cities seeing record-high ticket prices and limited seats this season. Read the article to know the reasons for price surge.
Rise in airfares across India.
New Delhi: Ahead of the festive season, ticket prices in India's domestic aviation market are on the rise, with fare increases of 100–200% recorded on some routes. The busiest city corridors in India are most affected by a blend of travel demand, limited capacity, and regulatory pressure that has driven airfares to all-time highs.
There are several factors that play key role in increasing the Air fares in India. Some of the key reasons are given below-
Since the demand is peaking as travelers plan to return home for Diwali, Chhath, Puja and other festivals. Late bookings escalate costs, especially on key routes. Airlines are constrained by fleet and slot availability, which limits how much capacity they can expand.
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Fuel, maintenance, crew, and ancillary costs have climbed, providing further justification for surcharges and dynamic pricing.
The regulator (DGCA) is under pressure to intervene; while fares are deregulated, the aviation body is maintaining watch and urging airlines to add flights. As a relief measure, airlines announced about 1,700 additional flights across sectors ahead of Diwali.
While fare hikes are felt all over, some urban corridors are under greater strain- both because of volume and higher-than-average price escalation. Below are the top five Indian cities (airports) most impacted by rising airfares:
The Delhi to Mumbai route is India’s busiest corridor, with heavy traffic and correspondingly steep fare surges. Flights from Delhi to Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad are also reporting large price jumps.
Delhi to Mumbai route is India’s busiest corridor
The Mumbaito Delhi link is a pressure point, and Mumbai’s traffic bottlenecks exacerbate fare hikes. Mumbai–Bengaluru and Mumbai–Hyderabad routes are also among the high-demand, high-cost links.
The Delhi–Bengaluru route is one of the top domestic links, and fares here have been rising fast under festival demand. Bengaluru to Mumbai also sees steep increases.
Ahead of Durga Puja, airfares from metro cities to Kolkata have nearly doubled. Return routes from Kolkata to Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, and Ahmedabad all show elevated pricing.
Routes from Hyderabad to Jaipur, Lucknow, Delhi, Bhopal, Patna, and Chandigarh have seen fare hikes of up to 200 %. The city’s connectivity to metros makes it a key node facing steep price pressure.
Other cities like Chennai and Ahmedabad also experience ripple effects, though with slightly lower surge intensity.
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Passengers can book well in advance as last-minute tickets are seeing the steepest markups. Some are opting for alternative modes (train, bus) or reworking travel dates to avoid extreme fares.
The DGCA’s oversight and additional flights may provide some relief, but it remains to be seen if they suffice to moderate the surge.
