‘Could have booked a round trip at this price’: Airfares in Pune skyrocket amid IndiGo crisis

“Indigo cancelled 16 flights between 12 am to 8 am today,” an airport official said.

The surge in fares affected multiple domestic routes. Flights from Pune to cities such as Lucknow, Jaipur, and Varanasi, which normally cost between ₹5,000 and ₹7,000, reportedly cost ₹24,000 to ₹30,000. Shorter routes to cities such as Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad also saw significant price spikes.

SpiceJet tickets from Pune to Delhi, which normally cost ₹5,000 to ₹6,000, were being sold at ₹24,000. Similarly, an Akasa Air flight from Pune to Bengaluru, normally priced around ₹7,000, was listed at ₹36,000. Air India officials said fares for domestic flights to popular destinations such as Lucknow, Jaipur, etc. ranged between ₹25,000 and ₹35,000.

“Flights to Delhi, Varanasi, Jaipur, and Dubai were overbooked within hours,” said a SpiceJet ground staff member. “Passengers are asking for any flight that’s available,” he added.

Safina Huned was to fly to Dehradun to embark on a trek. “But the check-in counter is closed. Air India and SpiceJet flights cost Rs 30-35k for a domestic flight to Dehradun. I could have booked a round-trip at this price. I can cancel my plans and go home, but what about people who need to travel?” she asked.

Like Huned, many passengers in Pune mulled cancelling their travel plans while others faced long queues, closed check-in counters, and uncertainty about seat availability.

Shadab Azam’s IndiGo flight 6E 2587 from Pune to Delhi was cancelled. “My IndiGo ticket cost around ₹5,000-₹6,000, but now a SpiceJet ticket is being sold for ₹24,000. Kuch toh karna padega, kal exam hai (I have to do something, I have an exam tomorrow),” Azam, a PhD student, said.

Simran Bhutoria, who was to travel to Bengaluru, was stunned at the surge in airfare. “It’s astronomical. Akasa shows ₹36,000…normally, it’s ₹7,000. This is crazy,” Bhutoria said.