This Diwali, flying is probably going to be an expensive endeavor. Due to high demand and restricted capacity due to Go First’s bankruptcy and SpiceJet’s financial issues, airfares on major routes across the country for the festival week, between November 10 and November 16, are already up to 89 percent compared to last year’s Diwali week.According to information provided by the travel website Ixigo, the average one-way cost on the Delhi-Ahmedabad route for the week of November 10–16 is INR 5,688, which is 72% more expensive than during the Diwali week last year (October 21–October 27, 2022). For tickets purchased more than 80 days in advance of the intended departure date. Around 290 flights a week were running on the Delhi-Ahmedabad route during the previous Diwali season. Airlines are now planning to run 15% fewer flights on the route during this Diwali, according to airline executives. “Go First used to run roughly 42 flights per week between Delhi and Ahmedabad. They’ve vanished. In the last year, SpiceJet has scaled back on this route. There are now roughly 14 flights per week.
An airline executive noted that other carriers lacked the necessary aircraft to fly more frequently on this route. From May 3 forward, Go First suspended all of its flights and submitted an application for bankruptcy. Go First’s plan to begin flights was approved by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) last month, subject to the resolution of ongoing lawsuits and the accessibility of emergency finance. The airline has not yet started flying again. Even during a slow season, demand for air travel has greatly increased this year, which is driving up airfares as well. In contrast to the peak festival season of October 2022 (11.4 million passengers), June and July, which are typically lean months, saw more domestic air traffic this year (12.4 and 12.1 million passengers, respectively). This year’s Diwali is anticipated to see a further increase in travel demand, pushing up prices on major routes. The boost in capacity by year’s end should result in some reductions in India’s airfares, according to an Ixigo representative. According to data from Ixigo, the average one-way cost on the Delhi-Srinagar route during the Diwali week this year is INR 7,175, which is 89.11% more expensive than it was during the Diwali week last year.
Airlines are now planning to run 33% fewer flights on the Delhi-Srinagar route during this year’s Diwali. “Go First used to provide roughly 72 flights a week between Delhi and Srinagar. No other airline has been able to close that gap, according to a company executive. According to Ixigo data, the average one-way cost for the Diwali week this year on the Bengaluru-Hyderabad route is INR 1,914, which is 63% more expensive than last year. This is true despite the fact that this Diwali, flight operations are expected to increase by roughly 40%. In total, SpiceJet will operate 1,266 flights each week this month, which is 41.5% fewer than it did in August of last year, according to statistics from aviation analytics firm Cirium. It has been challenging for the airline to pay its aircraft lessors on time. Data from Cirium shows that as of August 1, 26 of its total 62 planes were grounded. SpiceJet announced earlier this week that it intended to bring 25 grounded aircraft back into service.
Source- Travel biz
