Airfares for Ayodhya skyrocket to Rs 16,290

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On January 22, 2024, the consecration ceremony of lord Rama is going to take place at the Ram Janambhoomi Mandir in Ayodhya. Airfares have skyrocketed more than three fold on flights that would take-off for the holy city from Gujarat’s Ahmadabad. Last week, the airfares were around Rs 4,000 on this particular route for this auspicious occasion. But as of now, the flight ticket prices have skyrocketed to Rs 13,124 for travel between the routes on the select date. This is because, only flights of no frills airline Indigo are available on the route. No other airline is operating here.

From New Delhi to Ayodhya, airfares are available from Rs 10,199. From Bengaluru, tickets are not available at lower than Rs 16,290 to Ayodhya.

Ticket prices of flights en-route to another holy place, Amitsar, have more than doubled since April 2023. On the Mumbai-Amritsar route, tickets for travel on the next date which is December 20, 2023, are available for as high as Rs 19,792. In April 2023, average ticket price was Rs 8,045.

Similar is the condition on those routes of the nation on which flights of only one or maximum two airlines operate. According to a report that travel aggregator ‘Ixigo’ had shared with news daily ‘The Economic Times,’ during seven months period running from April 2023 to November 2023, the average airfares on approximately 1,100 air routes in the country had gone up by 21 per cent. And the upward trajectory of fares have continued in December as well.

Budget airline Go Air’s bankruptcy is one of the main reason behind soaring airfares in the country. Airfares are up massively on those routes on which now bankrupt airline Go Air used to operate and consecutively, now only direct flights of one or two airlines are left to operate on such routes. Low availability of airlines and soaring demand has forced airfares to go through the roof in the country. Plus, another low frills airline, Spicejet, has reduced its availability on routes connecting small towns on account of deteriorating financial condition.