Delhi-Kolkata Flight More Expensive Than Round Trip To UK Amid IndiGo Crisis

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

The sudden rush and demand spike led to a ripple effect on the flight booking platforms, doubling and tripling prices for a mode of transport that remains a luxury for most of the population in the country.

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

Between Delhi and Mumbai, one of the busiest routes across the world, return flights now cost nearly Rs 60,000 in the economy category. On other days, this would cost just one-third, around Rs 20,000, if booked at the last minute. For one-way travel, it quotes a fare of around Rs 35,000.

Read: All IndiGo Domestic Flights Out Of Delhi Cancelled Till Midnight Amid Chaos

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

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

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

IndiGo has cancelled all domestic flights from Delhi Airport till midnight, which is just a part of the total 523 cancellations so far today. Left with no choice, the passengers must shell out the extra buck if they wish to make a last-minute booking with another airline.

The issue isn't just impacting flights connecting Delhi.

Read: Piles Of Suitcases, Passenger Chaos As IndiGo Cancels Record 500 Flights

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, costing not more than Rs 10,000 on other days, are being sold at a minimum of Rs 62,000. And that's just one way. A return ticket booked for the next day alongside takes it to over Rs 92,000.

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

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