- Delhi train closures led to flight fare surge.
- Jantar Mantar protest caused significant travel disruption.
- Rising ATF prices increased domestic flight fuel surcharges.
Flight fares saw a slight rise in prices as the government closed all train services in the capital amid the Cockroach Janta Party’s Jantar Mantar protest on Saturday. Bookings on flights to and from the Indira Gandhi International Airport saw a rise in prices in last-minute bookings.
According to officials in the airline industry, the airfares may continue to increase if the closure remains in New Delhi. They pointed out that amid festivities such as Navratri, bookings are going to increase from Monday.
An airline official said that the ticket prices on the weekend were higher than usual. It is too soon to predict anything for bus and train travellers moving to air routes. “The weekend fares in the pre-festive season were pretty full, and the fares were anyway high," the official added.
An online travelling agency official said that until Friday night there were no significant price rises in spot fares in Lucknow, Prayagraj and other cities in UP. However, spot fares on the Varanasi-Delhi route were higher by 15 per cent over a month back “So far, there is no substantial increase in flight demand.”
Online travel sites showed ticket fares for the Delhi-Varanasi route go from Rs 6,000 to up to Rs 14,000 on Saturday. Airline officials said passengers, crew members and other staff struggled to reach the airport due to the travel restriction in Delhi.
Major carriers, including IndiGo, Air India, Air India Express, and Akasa Air increased or re-introduced distance-based fuel surcharges (ranging from Rs 375 to Rs 1,200 for domestic routes) following a jump in Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) prices from roughly Rs 110 to Rs137 per litre.
For instance, a domestic travel of 1,200 kilometres will now have to pay a fuel surcharge of Rs 850; previously it was Rs 549.
Coupled with rising fuel surcharges, the sudden shift in passenger demand is putting additional strain on domestic travel budgets. As major carriers adjust to fluctuating ATF prices and heightened pre-festive demand, passengers heading to and from the national capital may have to brace for elevated travel costs in the days ahead.