Gujarat fares climb

Airfares from Ahmedabad jumped ahead of the summer vacation rush, with local fare checks showing higher prices on major domestic holiday routes. (english.gujaratsamachar.com) Gujarat Samachar reported on April 11 that Ahmedabad-Delhi fares rose to about ₹5,500 from ₹4,500, while Ahmedabad-Dehradun climbed to ₹7,500 from ₹6,000. Ahmedabad-Mumbai increased to ₹4,000 from ₹3,500, and Ahmedabad-Goa to ₹4,500 from ₹3,500. (english.gujaratsamachar.com) The steeper increases were on longer routes. Ahmedabad-Guwahati rose to ₹13,000 from ₹10,000, Ahmedabad-Bagdogra to ₹12,000 from ₹10,000, and Ahmedabad-Srinagar to ₹9,000 from ₹7,000, the report said. (english.gujaratsamachar.com) Two cost pressures hit at once in April: fuel and capacity. Gujarat Samachar linked the fare rise to higher aviation turbine fuel prices and a smaller number of available flights, leaving passengers with fewer low-fare options during a peak travel window. (english.gujaratsamachar.com) India’s aviation fuel pricing changed sharply on April 1. Financial Express reported that aviation turbine fuel crossed ₹2 lakh per kilolitre in major metro markets for the first time, while the government said domestic carriers would face a partial 25% increase rather than the full market jump. (financialexpress.com) Airlines then started passing part of that fuel bill to passengers. IndiGo revised fuel charges for new bookings from April 2, Air India changed its surcharge structure from April 8, and Akasa Air had already introduced a fuel surcharge from March 15. (travel.economictimes.indiatimes.com) (economictimes.indiatimes.com) (business-standard.com) Policy also shifted just before the holiday season. The Ministry of Civil Aviation withdrew temporary domestic airfare caps on March 23, and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s summer schedule took effect from March 29 through October 24. (thehindubusinessline.com) The ministry said airlines could return to market-based pricing after capacity had normalized, but it also warned carriers against “excessive or unjustified” fare spikes and said it would keep monitoring prices in real time. (thehindubusinessline.com) Travel sellers in Gujarat are also seeing the impact beyond airline tickets. Gujarat Samachar said tour packages have become 10% to 15% more expensive because airfare makes up a large share of the total holiday cost. (english.gujaratsamachar.com) For travelers booking out of Gujarat in April, the pattern is straightforward: fewer seats, new fuel surcharges, and a deregulated fare market are pushing summer tickets higher on both short and long domestic routes. (english.gujaratsamachar.com) (thehindubusinessline.com) (financialexpress.com)