Holiday Surge: Diwali Airfare Soars To Rs 20,000-30,000 On Select Routes, Says Report

The report highlights a substantial increase in airfare for major routes during the Diwali week, with average fares rising by up to 25 per cent compared to the previous year

A one-way ticket from Mumbai to Patna during Diwali costs approximately Rs 20,074, as per the report

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Flying this Diwali has become explicitly more expensive, even if you book your tickets well in advance. According to a report by Business Standard, one-way airfares for the week of October 30 to November 5 have surged past Rs 20,000 on certain routes.

For instance, a one-way ticket from Mumbai to Patna during Diwali costs approximately Rs 20,074. Flights from Bengaluru to Varanasi are priced at around Rs 23,662, and a one-way ticket from Bengaluru to Patna is just under Rs 30,000. In addition, among the routes with fares below Rs 20,000, the most costly are Mumbai to Lucknow at Rs 19,292, Pune to Lucknow at Rs 19,226, and Delhi to Guwahati at Rs 18,573, as per the report.

These prices reflect the cost of economy class tickets purchased with a 90-day advance booking strategy, as detailed in the report.

The report highlights a substantial increase in airfare for major routes during the Diwali week, with average fares rising by up to 25 per cent compared to the previous year. This surge is attributed to strong demand, limited capacity growth, and changes in ticket pricing strategies.

The average one-way fare for the Mumbai-Hyderabad route during Diwali this year is Rs 5,162. According to data from the travel website Ixigo, this represents a 20.9 per cent increase compared to last year's fare for the same period (November 10-16, 2023).

"The Delhi-Ahmedabad route alone witnessed a substantial 72 per cent surge in airfare for the November 10-16 period compared to the preceding year. Notably, the Delhi-Srinagar route is experiencing an even more staggering 89 per cent increase," Nishant Pitti, CEO and co-founder of EaseMyTrip, had said last year.

Last year, approximately 266 flights operated weekly on the Mumbai-Hyderabad route. However, airlines reduced the number of flights by 3 per cent for this year's Diwali week, contributing to the higher airfare.