How to plan summer holidays amid soaring airfares due to West Asia war

This year’s summer holidays are not a simple beach-versus-mountains or Eiffel Tower versus Burj Khalifa decision. Instead, the West Asia war is likely to shape where you travel and how much you spend.

Soaring airfares and airspace closures over parts of West Asia are already dampening plans for overseas trips.The cost of flying to popular destinations such as Europe and the US has risen sharply. Routes from Delhi and Mumbai to key European destinations, such as France, the UK, Spain and Italy have seen fare increases of 20–25%, while travel to the US has climbed even higher by 25–30%, according to Yatra Online.

This hike is compared to last year during the May-July period.Higher fuel prices, along with the loss of key transit routes due to airspace closures, have driven these increases.With fewer connecting options via West Asia, travellers are increasingly forced to opt for direct flights to Europe and the US, which are significantly more expensive. For instance, a direct round-trip flight from Delhi to London in June or July is now priced at ₹1.1-1.3 lakh per person, nearly double the cost of a one-stop hopping flight via West Asia with a 2-3 hour layover.

While some connecting flights are still operating, uncertainty about routes is discouraging travellers from choosing them.The impact is not limited to long-haul travel. “Short-haul routes to Southeast Asia have also seen a 5–12% increase, though the rise is lower due to shorter distances and because these routes do not rely on the disrupted Middle Eastern airspace,” said Bharatt Malik, senior VP–air and hotel business, Yatra Online.Airfares are only expected to rise further as aviation turbine fuel (ATF), or jet fuel, has been hiked globally from 1 April.