Festive travelers rejoice! Airfares are 35-40% cheaper this Diwali
The upcoming Diwali season is all set to cheer air travelers in India, with domestic airfares seeing a major cut. According to travel portal Ixigo, average ticket prices on many domestic routes have dropped by 35-40% as compared to the same time last year. The analysis is based on one-way average fares bought 30 days in advance.
Bengaluru-Kolkata route witnesses largest fare reduction
Notably, the Bengaluru-Kolkata route has witnessed the steepest drop in airfares, falling by 38% to ₹6,319 from last year's ₹10,195. The Chennai-Kolkata route also witnessed a major 36% drop, with prices falling to ₹5,604 from the previous ₹8,725. These price drops are likely to make travel more affordable for passengers during the festive season.
Mumbai-Delhi and Delhi-Udaipur routes also see fare drops
The Mumbai-Delhi flight average fare has also dropped significantly by 34%, now costing ₹5,762 as opposed to last year's ₹8,788. A similar 34% drop was observed on the Delhi-Udaipur route, with fares now at ₹7,469 as opposed to the previous ₹11,296.
Multiple routes witness a 32% decrease
A 32% drop was seen on the Delhi-Kolkata, Hyderabad-Delhi, and Delhi-Srinagar routes. Aloke Bajpai, CEO of Ixigo Group, blamed last year's spike in airfares around Diwali on "limited capacity." He said this year's price drop is because of "additional capacity" added since then. Bajpai also hinted that the recent fall in oil prices may have played a role in the reduced airfares.
Some routes see an increase
Despite the overall drop in airfares, some routes have witnessed a steep increase. The Ahmedabad-Delhi route saw a fare hike of 34%, going up to ₹8,758 from last year's ₹6,533. The Mumbai-Dehradun route also saw a 33% increase, now costing ₹15,527 as opposed to the previous ₹11,710. These hikes are exceptions to the general trend of declining airfares this Diwali season.
