Diwali airfares surge as travellers preparing to return home for the festival face higher ticket prices on several domestic and international routes.
Rising festive demand and higher aviation fuel costs are adding pressure on air travel expenses this year.
Diwali Airfares Surge Ahead of Festival
Diwali will be celebrated on November 8 this year, and the festive travel rush is already affecting flight prices.
Popular routes within India as well as connections from the UAE to Indian cities are showing significantly higher fares.
For Indians living away from their hometowns, the annual journey home during Diwali could therefore cost substantially more, particularly for those travelling close to the festival weekend.
International Flight Fares Rise for India Routes
Flights from the UAE to Delhi are among the international routes seeing higher fares.
For November 5 travel, fares from Dubai to Delhi were listed from Dh1,013 on SpiceJet, Dh1,115 on Air India, Dh1,181 on Air India Express and Dh1,214 on IndiGo.
From Sharjah to Delhi, fares started at around Dh1,034 on IndiGo, while prices displayed for Air India, Air India Express and SpiceJet were higher.
Abu Dhabi-Delhi fares were listed from around Dh1,243 on Air India Express, Dh1,245 on IndiGo and Dh1,435 on Air India.
These are indicative fares checked for specific dates and can change depending on availability, booking time, airline, cabin class and additional services.
Domestic Airfares Also See Sharp Increase
Domestic travellers are also facing higher fares around the Diwali weekend. Checks for November 6 to 8 showed return fares of around ₹18,000 on Delhi-Hyderabad and ₹16,000 on Delhi-Bengaluru, while Delhi-Kolkata and Delhi-Ahmedabad fares were around ₹17,000 on Air India.
On another route, Kolkata-Deoghar fares that generally cost around ₹2,800 were reported at approximately ₹12,500 during the Durga Puja period, representing an increase of about 340%.
Travellers have also been discussing the sharp rise in Delhi-Bengaluru fares on social media. According to one social media post, a round trip that was around ₹13,000 during Diwali two years ago was now costing more than ₹20,000.
Why Are Flight Tickets Getting Costlier?
Strong festive demand is one factor behind the higher prices, as airlines use dynamic pricing and cheaper seats become unavailable as bookings increase. Limited capacity on some domestic routes is adding further pressure.
Aviation turbine fuel prices have also increased. In September, ATF was raised by ₹6.28 per litre, or 5.46%, taking the reported rate from ₹115 to ₹121.28 per litre.
Higher fuel costs can increase airline operating expenses, although ticket prices also depend on demand, competition and available seats.
