Diwali cheer: Airfares on major domestic routes cut by 25% on average, Bengaluru-Kolkata route sees steepest drop

Bringing cheer for travelers this Diwali season average airfares on many domestic routes have dropped by 20-25 percent compared to the year-ago period. 

An analysis by travel portal ixigo showed that average airfare on the domestic routes have declined in the range of 20-25 percent. The prices are for one-way average fare on a 30 days APD (advanced purchase date) basis. 

The analysis attributed the drop behind increased capacity and the recent fall in oil prices are considered to be among the factors for the fall in air ticket prices. 

Last year, Diwali period was considered during November 10-16, while it is October 28-November 3 this year.  

“Last year, airfares around Diwali had surged due to limited capacity, primarily driven by the suspension of Go First airline. However, this year we've seen some relief as additional capacity has been added since then, leading to a 20-25 per cent YoY (year-on-year) dip in average airfares across key routes for the last week of October,” ixigo Group CEO Aloke Bajpai told PTI.  

As per the analysis, the maximum decline of average airfare is 38 percent for a Bengaluru-Kolkata flight to Rs 6,319 this year from Rs 10,195 last year. 

The ticket price on Chennai-Kolkata route has fallen 36 percent to Rs 5,604 from Rs 8,725. 

The average airfare for Mumbai-Delhi flight has dropped 34 percent to Rs 5,762 from Rs 8,788. Similarly, there is a 34 percent decrease in ticket prices on Delhi-Udaipur route to Rs 7,469 from Rs 11,296. 

The decline is 32 percent on Delhi-Kolkata, Hyderabad-Delhi and Delhi-Srinagar routes. 

Bajpai said the decline in oil prices, down 15 percent this year, may have also contributed to this downward trend, offering travelers more affordable options during the festive season. 

Currently, oil prices are slightly on the upward trajectory amid rising geopolitical tensions. 

Meanwhile, there has been a hike in airfares of up to 34 percent on certain routes. 

While the ticket price has jumped 34 percent on Ahmedabad-Delhi route to Rs 8,758 from Rs 6,533, the rise is 33 percent on Mumbai-Dehradun route to Rs 15,527 from Rs 11,710, as per the analysis.