Domestic Flight Ticket Prices Rise Ahead Of Independence Day Weekend

The Independence Day weekend has led to a spike in prices of domestic flight tickets on some routes. With August 15 this year being a Tuesday, many people are chalking up plans to take a leave on Monday and enjoy a four-day break from Saturday to Tuesday.

Airfares from Mumbai and Delhi to popular holiday destinations and religious sites like Goa, Agra, Kochi, Madurai, Shirdi, and Tirupati have gone up significantly over the long weekend, a Times of India report said.

But ticket prices of flights to destinations like Srinagar have remained relatively lower as the weekend approaches. On Wednesday morning, the cheapest 48-hour advance non-stop flight from Mumbai to Srinagar cost Rs 9,500. This was same as the airfare for the busiest domestic route – Mumbai-Delhi. The Mumbai-Srinagar airfare, however, increased to Rs 12,500 by evening that day but it stayed the same for the Mumbai-Delhi route.

People also seem to be flocking to religious tourism destinations this long weekend as ticket prices have witnessed an uptick on these routes. The cheapest flight ticket to Tirupati, known for its famous Balaji temple, from Mumbai was priced at Rs 18,000 and at Rs 25,000 from Delhi. “These are 48-hour advance purchase fares and so are expectedly high. The passengers who booked in June-July would have got a 20%-25% cheaper fare,” an official of a domestic airline told TOI.

In June this year, a study conducted by Airports Council International Asia-Pacific in collaboration with Flare Aviation Consulting on airfare trends in the region revealed that the highest increase in airfare since Covid was observed in India at 41%. 

The study stated that domestic airfares have been increasing in several markets including India, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia among others in the first quarter of 2023.