Airfare on metro routes down 28%, up on non-metro routes
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. New Delhi: Those planning to travel between metro cities this year-end are in for a treat. According to data from ticket booking portals, airline ticket prices between metropolitan cities have crashed by almost a third this month compared to December 2023.
In parallel, airfares between metros and tourist or religious destinations have shot up accompanied by shooting demand in light of the upcoming year-end holidays and festivities. Travel portal EaseMyTrip reported a 9-28% year-on-year (y-o-y) drop in airfares on key metro-to-metro routes. The highest fall of 28% was between Chennai and Kolkata.
Kolkata-Bengaluru was a close second, with fares having dropped 27%. The next three—Delhi to Chennai, Hyderabad to Delhi, and Delhi to Ahmedabad—have seen airfares fall 21%, 21% and 20% y-o-y, respectively. Experts said demand on metro routes is anyway not the best at the end of the year, but demand this year is lower even compared to last year.
“The airfares between metro-to-metro routes have dropped significantly because the fares have been obnoxiously high since the festive season," said Jyoti Singh Mayal, immediate past president of Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) and chairperson of Tourism & Hospitality Skill Council (THSC). “Pre bookings are not happening like before. This doesn't mean people are not travelling; hotels are doing much better than airlines." She added that people have now started to drive down to nearby destinations.
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