NEW DELHI: It is cheaper to buy a return ticket from Delhi to London than from Delhi to Dharamshala (Gaggal airport) at present. Airfares have skyrocketed due to the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup which had five matches in Dharamshala. The fourth match on Sunday was held between India and New Zealand, and return fares cost Rs 60,000.
"What would otherwise cost Rs 10,000 (Delhi-Dharamshala round trip) is six times higher. Think of those with medical emergencies, how would they buy a ticket,’’ said a resident of Mc Leodganj.
Since airfares are deregulated it gives airlines the liberty to cash on such events as they can literally milch passengers. There are three airlines that operate in the sector – IndiGo, SpiceJet, and Alliance Air.
SpiceJet abstained from responding when contacted by the newspaper. Alliance Air is government-owned and even the civil aviation minister’s office refrained from making any comments.
If one wants to book a flight for the last match (28th October) in Dharamshala and goes on an airline booking app the return fare is close to Rs 45,000. This is less than what was available for the just concluded weekend but is still very high.
Alliance Air flight which leaves at 7 am from Delhi for Gaggal airport (27th October) costs Rs 14,500 and a return SpiceJet flight on the 29th October costs close to Rs 30,000.
"It is important to have a capping on airfares. You can give airlines a huge margin of increasing the fares but there has to be a limit. It's like government-operated taxis that you hire from the airport, they have fixed fares right, so there should be some way of fixing the maximum fares. What is somebody attending the match has a medical emergency and has to rush to Delhi? Or someone from Delhi has to reach Dharamshala on an urgent basis…will they be able to afford such exorbitant fares,’’ Dr Subash Goyal, chairman of STIC Travel group and chairman of Indian Chambers of Commerce Aviation and Tourism Committee told this newspaper.
What is making it even more challenging for people to travel at present is that there are almost no confirmed seats available in this sector by train.
"Festival rush, besides, the craze for cricket has led to this unprecedented situation,’’ said Sanjay K, a tour operator who does online train ticket bookings and says for most trains on this route confirmed bookings are available only towards the end of the month.