Grounding of Boeing planes may drive Indian airfares up by 20%

A pilot shortage for one. A cash crunch for another. And now the Boeing Max crisis. As Indian airlines ground plane after plane, passengers can expect to pay a lot more.

Airfares for domestic travel may rise by 20 percent heading into the annual school break, a prime time for families to travel, according to an online booking firm. “At least 50 planes are out of action owing to multiple reasons,” said Sharat Dhall, chief operating officer of the business-to-consumer segment at Yatra Online Pvt Ltd. “That’s an eight percent reduction of domestic airline capacity.”

Clipped Wings

Meanwhile, Indians just keep flying more. The sector recorded 46 straight months of double-digit growth through to June 2018, according to International Air Transport Association, keeping it on course to becoming the third-largest domestic aviation market by 2024.

With robust demand through the holiday season, Dhall says airfares have only way to go: Up.

First Published: Mar 13, 2019 16:47 IST