Flight Ticket Price: With the onset of the festive season, millions of Indians start heading to their homes or planning holidays. But this year, this enthusiasm for air travel is going to be heavy on the pocket. Ahead of Durga Puja and Diwali 2025, fares on major air routes in the country are skyrocketing. Air ticket prices have increased by a staggering 50% to 80% compared to last year, and on some routes this figure has almost doubled.

This unexpected price hike is seriously affecting the budget of the passengers. If you are also planning to travel by air this festive season, then this news is extremely important for you. The situation is such that the airfares on the busiest routes like Mumbai-Delhi, Delhi-Kolkata, and Bengaluru-Kolkata have broken all records so far.

Fares are on the rise on these routes

According to data from travel agents and online portals, fares are on fire. Just take a look at these figures, you will yourself realise how serious the situation is:

Increase compared to 2024

Mumbai-Dehradun 14,000 0.94
Delhi-Kolkata 9,350 0.8
Mumbai-Delhi 9,500 0.65
Mumbai-Jaipur 6,458 0.63
Bengaluru-Kolkata 9,495 0.5
Chennai-Kolkata 5,600 0.4
Hyderabad-Delhi 7,645 0.2

These are just a few examples. This is the condition of almost every major route in the country. So why is this happening? Why has the air ticket suddenly become so expensive? Let us understand the reasons behind this in simple language.

Why has airfare skyrocketed?

There is not just one reason behind this unprecedented increase, but many factors are working together, which together have made air travel ‘beyond the reach of the common man’.

1. Shortage of airplanes

The biggest reason is the shortage of airplanes. It may sound a little strange, but it is true. Many Indian airlines have ordered new planes, but their delivery is getting delayed. Due to problems in the global supply chain and problems in certain types of engines, companies are not able to get new aircrafts on time. This simply means that there are fewer airplanes to fly, but there are more passengers. Whenever there is more demand for something and less supply, its price increases. The same is happening here.

2. Expensive Jet Fuel (ATF)

The biggest expense in flying an airplane is its fuel i.e. Air Turbine Fuel (ATF). In the last one year, the price of jet fuel has increased by about 5% and it has reached around Rs 92,000 per kilolitre. When the airline’s expenses increase, it directly puts this burden on the pockets of the passengers. You can understand it like when petrol and diesel become expensive, the fare of bus and taxi increases.

3. Long Weekend

This year, there is one more thing associated with festivals, and that is ‘long weekend’. After Durga Puja, there are holidays around Gandhi Jayanti and then Diwali. In such a situation, people are not only planning to go home, but are also planning to travel. This has led to a sudden increase in the number of passengers, which has further increased the demand.

Book your tickets as soon as possible

This is the first and most important rule. The more late you are, the more the fare will increase. If your plan is firm, then book the ticket today itself.