Why Delhi-Mumbai airfares are among the costliest globally

Airline ticket fares are flying high in India. You will have to shell out nearly Rs 14,000 if you are booking a non-stop flight from Delhi to Mumbai 24 hours in advance, making it one of the costliest domestic airfares globally. These flight ticket prices will burn a bigger hole in the travellers’ pockets as Delhi-Mumbai is one of the busiest domestic routes in the country. How have airfares increased in India and what are the factors behind it? Let’s take a closer look. Higher fares than many busiest routes globally A flyer from India will find cheaper last-minute or spot fares on the busiest domestic routes of countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, China, South Korea and South Africa than the current Delhi to Mumbai ticket rates, reported the Times of India (TOI). A 24-hour advance booking for a flight from Los Angeles to Las Vegas in the US will cost Rs 6,497, as per online airfares on Tuesday (13 June) The London-Edinburgh route, which as per TOI is the busiest domestic route in the UK, showed tickets starting at Rs 8,278 on Tuesday. However, the exception is Brazil, where a flight from the country’s busiest domestic route – Sao Paulo to Rio de Janeiro – will cost at least Rs 28,000. India sees most rise in airfare According to a study by Airports Council International (ACI), at 41 per cent, India witnessed the highest rise in airfares, followed by United Arab Emirates (34 per cent), Singapore (30 per cent) and Australia (23 per cent). As per the TOI report, the study, conducted between the fourth quarter of 2022 and the fourth quarter of 2019 (pre-COVID months) surveyed 36,000 routes in the top 10 aviation markets in the Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. [caption id=“attachment_12732572” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] A spot fare for a non-stop flight from Delhi to Mumbai can cost around Rs 14,000. Reuters (Representational Image)[/caption] India started reporting an increase in domestic airfares last September following the civil aviation ministry’s decision to remove the upper and lower cap on flight tickets that were imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the report added. Moreover, ACI has found that “…in the first quarter of 2023, despite a progressive increase in traffic, domestic airfares have continued to increase” in India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Japan, “only decreasing marginally on international routes”. ALSO READ: Rs 21,000 to fly from Delhi to Ahmedabad: Why are airfares in India soaring? Why is there surge in domestic airfares? According to the ACI, fuel prices and inflation were among the major factors behind the rise in airfares. In India, after Go First suspended its flight operations in May this year, the price of flight tickets on certain routes skyrocketed due to the disruption in demand and supply. As per reports, some of the worst hit routes included Delhi-Srinagar and Delhi-Pune, Mumbai and Delhi to Leh.

The low-cost airline used to operate over 300 daily flights.

“Airfares are expected to remain higher than those in pre-COVID times by over 30-40 per cent," Jay Bhatia, board of directors, Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH), told Mint earlier in June. [caption id=“attachment_12732602” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Go First suspended its flight operations in May, which has also disrupted demand and supply. Reuters File Photo[/caption] The beginning of summer vacations has also led to a surge in demand for flights on specific routes. “Airfares (especially on spot bookings for popular leisure sectors from Mumbai and Delhi) have witnessed a significant surge vs last month such as Leh 60-80 per cent, Srinagar 50-70 per cent, Goa 40-50 per cent and Pune 25-30 per cent," Indiver Rastogi, president and group head, Global Business Travel, Thomas Cook (India) and SOTC Travel, was quoted as saying by Mint. According to Bhatia, some domestic carriers have reduced their flight operations as compared to last year’s winter season which has also affected the airfares, reported Mint. Last week, civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia chaired a high-level meeting, asking airlines to self-check airfares and charge reasonable rates. “Airlines must self-monitor airfares on certain select routes that have seen considerable surge pricing of late, particularly those that were earlier being serviced by Go First… A mechanism for ensuring reasonable pricing within the high RBDs (reservation booking designator) may be devised by airlines. This shall be monitored by the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation),” the civil aviation ministry said in a statement. Rastogi told Mint that following the government’s intervention, flyers travelling on Delhi-Leh, Delhi-Srinagar, or Mumbai-Srinagar routes got some relief as airlines slashed airfares. Meanwhile, the ACI has urged countries to allow competition while keeping a check on airfares. Calling upon the governments to intervene in view of these soaring international and domestic flight tickets, director general of ACI Asia-Pacific Stefano Baronci, as per Hindustan Times (HT), said: “These excessive airfares threaten the industry’s long-term recovery and may have a far-reaching influence on the associated industry by reducing demand for air travel and increasing the financial burden on the already stressed sector. Airlines should exercise fair pricing that supports recovery and safeguards consumers’ interests”. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.