Grounded planes, costlier aviation fuel cause 8-10% rise in Pune flights’ fares

PUNE: A cocktail of reasons — from runway closure at the Mumbai airport to grounding of flights by a prominent carrier — has contributed to an 8-10% increase in fares for flights in key sectors.

An increase in aviation turbine fuel (ATF) rates and time restrictions have also contributed to this trend, industry observers said.



“Flights to and from Pune have recorded an average increase of 8-10 % in airfares in key sectors like Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, and Delhi,” Aloke Bajpai, CEO and co-founder, ixigo, told TOI, adding that airlines were offering full refunds in the event of last-minute flight cancellations.

Bajpai also blamed a change in pricing strategy. “Airlines have pulled back on announcing multiple sales, a norm during this period. Other factors, like the Mumbai runway repairs and an unprecedented cancellation of flights by airlines are also factors. ATF price hike by 10 % will continue to push the fares higher in March,” he predicted.

“Given that a prominent airline has been grounding many flights, people opt for the next best option, driving up the prices. Also, the travel season has started, with many destination weddings in February and March. People are booking 100 seats at a time, which also plays a role,” Santosh Gupta, director, Shree Vinayak Holidays, said.

Girish Makhijani, of Harekrishna Comfort Tours, said the partial closure of two runways in Mumbai for 52 days, from February 7 to March 30, has increased the load on flights. “For instance, those who normally travel to Chandigarh from Mumbai now have to travel to via Pune, thus increasing the passenger load on flights from Pune. This impacts fares too. Airfares may further increase after March 15,” said Makhijani.