Grounded jets, high demand propel air fares up and away

CHENNAI: City slicker looking to escape the scorching months ahead? Fancy a high-flying break to an exotic destination in Southeast Asia or to cooler climes in the north?
Perhaps not this summer: Gravity has already started to weigh down extra hard on flyers, with technical glitches grounding a popular jet and close-to-peaking demand adding to the unnatural forces of airline fare systems that make wallets appear confoundingly light.

Travel agents on Tuesday reported a rise in air fare to major cities from Chennai for May. Tickets for the month are selling so fast that rates have topped those for mid-April. On the Chennai-Delhi route, which has the highest demand, a one-way ticket for the first week of May cost between Rs 4,239 and Rs 9,722, against a normal price band of Rs 3,527 to Rs 6,000. Fares are similarly high on the Chennai-Mumbai route.
Air fares to international destinations have also shot out of atmospheric levels, the travel agents said, citing cancellations of flights by IndiGo and GoAir flights as one of the main factors for the hike, apart from the high seasonal demand.
IndiGo, the country’s largest carrier, and GoAir cancelled dozens of flights on a Director General of Civil Aviation order last week shut down Airbus A320neo jets due to a problem with the aircraft’s Pratt & Whitney engines. Recent reports that indicated repairs and replacements could take in excess of 40 days have not helped matters.
Demand for seats on Chennai-Delhi and Mumbai route is high because domestic tourists head to northern and northeastern tourist spots and to Rajasthan via Delhi, the agents said. Tourists headed to places in the west of the country have no option to but to fly via Mumbai. The two cities are also gateways for tourists flying abroad for holidays and gateways for international travellers to the country.
“DGCA’s decision to ground some A320neo aircraft of Indigo and GoAir and the consequent cancellation of flights has significantly impacted fares on key routes,” Yatra.com chief operating officer Sharat Dhall said. “The reduction in capacity is likely to result in a 5%-10% increase in fares on key routes in the short to medium term.”
FCM Travel Solutions executive director Shravan Gupta said current trends point to people heading to the highlands of the northeast, the palaces and forts of Rajasthan and to the braches of Goa. These preferences will push up fares on respective sectors.
Basheer Ahmed of Metro Travels said fares on popular international routes had increased by Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500. “The rates are not too high now because a few airlines have offered discounts,” he said. “But the fares could go up in the coming days as more people book for the holidays.”
Malaysian Airlines has introduced a discount to Kuala Lumpur and SilkAir a markdown on flights to Vietnam.