World Cup cricket: India-Pak faceoff sends airfares soaring
NEW DELHI : With the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup captivating cricket fans, domestic airfares to Ahmedabad, where the crucial India-Pakistan match will be played on 15 October, have surged more than fourfold. Fares have shot up as fans scramble for tickets to witness the clash between the two teams in India after more than a decade. The last time India and Pakistan played each other on Indian soil was on January 2013 in Delhi.
It was also the last bilateral series between the two nations. The airfares for Ahmedabad for a day before the 15 October match have spiked 330% to around ₹ 11,300 from Indore as compared to an average fare of ₹2,600 for the rest of the October month, data from travel portals showed. Similarly, airfares for Ahmedabad from Delhi have risen by 250% from the usual October airfares to ₹17,500, and fares from Mumbai currently cost approximately ₹13,000, 225% up from the average October fare of ₹4,000 for the route.
A direct flight from Jaipur to Ahmedabad on 14 October currently costs approximately ₹17,000, 170% more than the average October fare of ₹6,300 for the route. Similarly, fares from Hyderabad and Kochi are up by 200-230% to nearly ₹18,000 and ₹23,000, respectively. Airfares for Ahmedabad from Kolkata are currently higher by almost 130% from the usual October airfare levels to ₹23,000, and those from Chandigarh and Bengaluru are up by nearly 80-90% to ₹ 13,000 and ₹10,000, respectively, for a one-way flight ticket.
“Many cricket fans are going all-out to experience the match between India and Pakistan. There has been a 46% increase in searches for travel and tickets throughout the World Cup period. Since the formal announcement of the dates, hotel charges for a single night have increased
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