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New Delhi: Mass flight cancellations by IndiGo have sent fares on competing airlines soaring as passengers scramble for alternatives on routes dominated by India’s largest carrier.One-way economy tickets for Sunday on Delhi-Mumbai sector range from Rs 21,577 to Rs 39,000 across airlines other than IndiGo. Bengaluru-Kolkata tickets cost between Rs 20,000 and Rs 23,000 each while Chennai-Delhi seats are priced around Rs 21,000.IndiGo, which holds 64% of India’s domestic market share, has told passengers it expects to resume normal operations between Dec 10 and 15. Seats on available IndiGo flights scheduled for the next several days cost roughly half the price of competitors due to the uncertainty caused by operational disruptions.
The remaining airlines – Air India, Air India Express, SpiceJet and Akasa Air – collectively control 36% of domestic capacity. When passengers avoid IndiGo and concentrate demand on this smaller pool of seats, fares invariably increase based on supply constraints. Regional routes show even sharper increases. Udaipur-Delhi one-way economy tickets for Sunday cost between Rs 15,367 and Rs 26,406 on non-IndiGo carriers. Udaipur-Mumbai fares range from Rs 24,000 to Rs 35,000.Mahima Shukla, a Delhi-based CA, flew to Udaipur Friday by Air India Express and was to return Sunday on an IndiGo flight. “I am trying to cancel that ticket as I have to be in office Monday. Udaipur-Delhi on other airlines costs upwards of Rs 21,000. This is a double whammy,” she said.A Delhi-based businessman termed the crisis “possibly the worst phase in Indian aviation in many years”. “While fares are skyrocketing, our confidence levels have nosedived,” he said.
