Delhi-Mumbai air fares touch the sky
Delhi-Mumbai route is among the busiest .
Price surge seen as direct result of a three-day maintenance at Delhi airport
Air fares on the Delhi-Mumbai route soared for the second day on Thursday, with last minute economy class tickets selling for Rs. 15,000 each way. The price surge is seen as a direct result of a three-day maintenance leading to the closure of one runway at Delhi airport, and rising air pollution levels in the National Capital Region (NCR) which have resulted in cancellation of several non-stop flights.
Prices for Delhi-Mumbai flights for Friday, on online ticketing portal Cleartrip, showed that an the cost of a ticket on the 8 a.m. Jet Airways flight was Rs. 28,490 (economy) and Rs. 42,698 (business). An 8.30 a.m. Indigo flight ticket was priced at Rs. 25,093, while tickets on a 4 a.m. Air India flight — considered to be a red-eye flight — were selling for Rs. 19,717. Fares on Indigo’s flights between 9.30 a.m. and 10.35 a.m. were available for slightly lesser at Rs. 16,000.
Makemytrip, another online booking portal, showed early Friday morning tickets (before 6 a.m.) starting from Rs. 12,971 tapering down to Rs. 9,832 (6 a.m. to 12 noon) and Rs. 8,587 (after 6 p.m.).
In a statement, Balu Ramachandran, head, air and distribution, Cleartrip, said: “Delhi-Mumbai is among the busiest air routes in the country from both leisure and corporate travel perspectives. The runway closure in Delhi resulted in reduced flights and hence operating flights have high load factor. The last-minute fares skyrocketed as a result of this supply crunch.”
Mr. Ramachandran added that there was a drop in the bookings from Delhi compared to the daily average. “We have seen a 4.9% drop in bookings for air travel originating in Delhi between November 7 and 10. There is also a 5% increase in cancellations,” he added.
The GMR-led Delhi International Aviation Limited in an official statement announcing the closure of the runway had said, “IGI Airport’s runway 11/29 will remain closed from 12 a.m. on November 7 to 7 a.m. on November 10.”
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