Airfares soar due to long weekend, Independence Day, and Raksha Bandhan

The extended holiday prospect has elevated the airfares for travel from Mumbai to Goa, Leh, Jodhpur, Mysore, Ayodhya, and Tirupati particularly for morning flights on August 15.

August 10, 2024

As the nation gears up for the much-awaited forthcoming weekend starting on Independence Day and Raksha Bandhan, domestic airfares are once again soaring, especially on popular leisure travel and religious tourism routes.

The extended holiday prospect has elevated the airfares for travel from Mumbai to Goa, Leh, Jodhpur, Mysore, Ayodhya, and Tirupati particularly for morning flights on August 15.

On the other hand, airfares have plummeted to certain locations like Kozhikode, the nearest airport to Wayanad, Srinagar, and destinations in the Northeast. It is attributed to the catastrophic landslide in Wayanad on July 30; affecting the travel to the hills.

According to an airline official, return fares from Mumbai to Srinagar for August 15 travel are presently priced between Rs 10,000 and Rs 12,000, which is relatively low. In comparison, return fares on the same route for Diwali travel hover around Rs 25,000.

Meanwhile, a day earlier, on Wednesday, August 14, the most economical return ticket on non-stop flights from Mumbai to Kozhikode was priced at Rs 13,000. In contrast, the lowest return fares from Mumbai to Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram were priced at Rs 20,000 and Rs 17,000, respectively.

Destinations in the Northeast that typically witness a surge in demand from September onwards are also priced low for travel from Mumbai during the August 15 weekend. The most economical round-trip ticket on non-stop flights to Kolkata, Bagdogra, and Guwahati started at Rs 13,400, Rs 17,000, and Rs 15,000, respectively.

Besides, during the Navratri festive season, winter, and summer months, that would be the cost of a one-way fare when booked a week in advance.