Cap on flights, rush during admission season see UK airfares soar two-fold
Saurabh.Sinha@timesgroup.com
New Delhi:06.08.2021
Airfares on the India-UK sector have more than doubled for travel starting August 8, when India stops being on the UK’s red list and visitors from here will again be allowed with no need for a mandatory 10-day hotel quarantine.
The reason is a combination of three factors — a cap of 30 weekly scheduled flights between the two countries; pent-up demand for travel for almost 3.5 months since April 23, when restrictions were imposed on visitors from here during the second Covid wave; and the ongoing peak student travel season.
According to travel portal ixigo, average one-way economy fares from Mumbai and Delhi to London between March 8 and 22, 2021, were Rs 35,871 and Rs 40,273, respectively. Now, fares for travel between August 8 and 22 from Mumbai are up 115% at Rs 77,187, and by 51% from Delhi at Rs 60,932, ixigo data shows. This “is because of pent-up demand and increase in search queries for travel to UK”, it says. Return London fares are well in excess of Rs 1 lakh from most Indian cities.
“This is the peak student season and a large number of Indian students are headed to universities in the UK. Now, with relaxed rules, many parents are also seeking to go and drop their children there for studies,” a travel industry source said.
TICKET TO A COSTLY RIDE
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