Flying to Chennai costs more than flying to London after IndiGo cancellations

The chaos that has impacted hundreds of IndiGo’s flights is now set to burn a deeper hole into passengers’ pockets. Flight fares have soared multifold, leaving passengers stranded due to cancellations and struggling with last-minute bookings with other airlines.

The sudden rush and surge in demand have created a ripple effect across flight booking platforms, doubling and even tripling prices for a mode of transport that remains a luxury for most people in the country.

Are international flights now cheaper than domestic ones?

In several cases, flights to foreign cities currently cost less than many busy domestic routes, as international operations remain unaffected amid the crisis.

Between Delhi and Mumbai, one of the busiest routes in the world, return flights now cost nearly Rs 60,000 in the economy category. On other days, this would cost only one-third of that amount, around Rs 20,000, even if booked at the last minute. For one-way travel, fares have risen to around Rs 35,000.

There are no available flights today connecting Delhi with Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Jaipur, and Lucknow. Anyone seeking to fly to Hyderabad tomorrow will have to spend over Rs 48,000 for an economy ticket that rarely costs more than Rs 7,000.

These prices are changing every minute based on demand and other factors.

How high are fares on other busy routes?

For Delhi–Kolkata, an available flight is priced at nearly Rs 32,000 today. For a round trip tomorrow, the fare rises to Rs 85,000 on the same route, making it costlier than travelling to Europe. The cheapest Delhi–London flight is hovering around Rs 25,000, while Delhi–Paris quotes a price below Rs 25,000. A round trip to both destinations costs less than Rs 60,000.

IndiGo has cancelled all domestic flights from Delhi Airport till midnight, which forms just a part of the total 523 cancellations recorded so far today. With limited options, passengers must now shell out extra money if they wish to make a last-minute booking with another airline.

Is the situation the same outside Delhi?

The issue is not limited to flights connecting Delhi.

The cheapest flight between Mumbai and Chennai is about Rs 60,000, with a stop in Delhi, whereas the same flight quotes less than Rs 4,500 for a travel date after a week.

Seats on Mumbai–Srinagar flights, which normally cost no more than Rs 10,000, are currently being sold at a minimum of Rs 62,000. That price is only for a one-way journey. A return ticket booked for the next day pushes the total above Rs 92,000.

What caused IndiGo’s operational breakdown?

The operational crisis that forced IndiGo to cancel hundreds of its flights stems from a shortage of pilots and flight crew in view of the new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) rules, which mandated longer rest periods for staff.

IndiGo has admitted that it misjudged the number of pilots it needed under the new FDTL rules, which ultimately led to the crisis.