Fare Is Not Lovely: Flight Tickets To Delhi Now 86 Per Cent Costlier As One Runway Is Shut 

Industry experts on Friday (November 16) claimed that the hike in last-minute average fares and the rates on certain vital sectors shooting up by 86 per cent was due to the closure of the partial runway along with the ensuing cancellation of flights at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), Delhi, reports The New Indian Express.

Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) had previously announced the closure of one of the three runways for preventive repairs for 13 days, starting 15 November, while also asking the airlines to change their flight schedules accordingly.

Several travel portals showed a bump in spot airfares on Friday evening. Flights from Delhi to cities like Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad are expected to witness a sharp rise in price for the next one week.

The usual fare for a flight from Delhi to Bengaluru stands at Rs 11,044 on regular days while travel on Saturday (November 17) cost Rs 13,072 on an average, according to data provided by travel portal Ixigo.

“Another contributing factor is the high travel demand over the upcoming weekend. We have seen an average increase of 86 per cent in airfares for flights from Delhi to key routes such as Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Chennai,” said Aloke Bajpai, chief executive and co-founder, Ixigo.

The three runways put together handle 1,300 flights per day, while the airport as a whole handled 63.5 million passengers in the fiscal year ending March, earning it the tag of being the busiest airport in the country.

Despite the sharp increase in prices to important destinations, those who booked early grabbed the cheap deals available in the market, added Bajpai.