Festival airfares have soared on some domestic and international routes from Calcutta as uncertainty over travel through West Asia added to the pressure of peak-season demand and rising fuel costs.
Some airlines have deployed larger aircraft on domestic routes to accommodate the rush. Yet passenger footfall at the Calcutta airport remains below last year’s Durga Puja levels, airport officials said.
Airlines and airport officials attributed the high fares to strong demand and rising aviation turbine fuel (ATF) costs. Indian carriers have raised fuel surcharges this month amid a sharp increase in ATF prices linked to the war in West Asia and pressure on global energy markets.
Among domestic destinations, Goa, Chandigarh and Bagdogra are seeing strong demand. IndiGo, which typically operates 190-seat aircraft on some of these routes,
has introduced 230-seat Airbus A321neo aircraft for the festive season, airport sources said.
International routes are also drawing travellers despite steep fares. A return ticket between Calcutta and Hanoi on IndiGo cost around ₹65,000-₹75,000 during the festive period, travel industry sources said. The route did not have direct connectivity from Calcutta last year, when IndiGo operated flights to Ho Chi Minh City before discontinuing the service.
IndiGo is operating a 220-seat aircraft to Hanoi. Airport sources said the flight had 180 passengers booked for October 15 and 190 for October 16, as of Wednesday.
Siem Reap in Cambodia, another relatively new international destination served by IndiGo since November last year, is also seeing rising demand. Return fares during the festive season were around ₹30,000, against a non-peak average of ₹20,000, travel operators said.
“The new sectors of Hanoi and Siem Reap are seeing huge demand this Puja. Bangkok also continues to be a big draw. However, demand for destinations such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi is lower than last year because of the war in the region,” said Anil Punjabi, chairman (East) of the Travel Agents Federation of India.
A return ticket to Bangkok on IndiGo cost around ₹60,000 on average during the festive period, double the non-peak average of ₹30,000. The airline’s Calcutta-Bangkok flight on October 15 was fully booked, while the October 16 service was 95% full, sources said.
Flights to Dubai continue to report healthy passenger loads, though the rush is lower than last year, airport sources said.
Domestic fares have climbed, too. A ticket to Chandigarh cost around ₹24,000, against an average of ₹16,000-₹18,000 outside the peak season. Fares to Goa touched ₹26,000, compared with a non-peak average of ₹17,000. Port Blair, Bagdogra, Delhi and Mumbai are among the other domestic destinations seeing strong demand.
Despite the high fares, Calcutta airport has recorded fewer passengers than during last Puja. Over the past few days, daily footfall across arrivals and departures has been around 53,000, against approximately 60,000 during the corresponding period last year.
“We expect passenger footfall to touch last year’s levels in the coming few days,” an airport official said.
During non-peak season last year, the airport handled around 50,000 passengers a day, the official added.
The decline has been attributed to several factors, including the US-Israel war on Iran, its impact on flight operations in the West Asia region, and rising ATF prices.