Average airfares around Diwali drop 20-25% on many domestic routes

The maximum decline of average airfare is 38% for a Bengaluru-Kolkata flight to ₹ 6,319 this year from ₹ 10,195 last year, as per ixigo analysis.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Air passengers might have a reason to smile this Diwali season as average airfares on many domestic routes have dropped 20-25% compared to the year-ago period, according to an analysis.

Increased capacity and the recent fall in oil prices are considered to be among the factors for the fall in air ticket prices.

The analysis by travel portal ixigo showed that average airfare on the domestic routes has declined in the range of 20-25%.

The prices are for one-way average fare on a 30-day APD (advanced purchase date) basis.

For 2023, the time period considered is November 10-16, while it is October 28-November 3 for this year. This is the time around Diwali.

The maximum decline of average airfare is 38% for a Bengaluru-Kolkata flight to ₹ 6,319 this year from ₹ 10,195 last year, as per the analysis.

The ticket price on the Chennai-Kolkata route has fallen 36% to ₹ 5,604 from ₹ 8,725.

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

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

“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% YoY (year-on-year) dip in average airfares across key routes for the last week of October,” ixigo Group CEO Aloke Bajpai told PTI.

According to him, the decline in oil prices, down 15% this year, may have also contributed to this downward trend, offering travellers 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% on certain routes.

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