Airlines Hike Ahmedabad Airfares By 5X After AI-171 Crash; Air India Charges Over ₹25,000 Amid Surge In Demand

While family and relatives of the victims who lost their lives in the Ahmedabad plane crash are constantly travelling to Ahmedabad, airlines are seeing it as an opportunity to earn profits as airfares for flights to and from Ahmedabad have increased to more than a whopping 500%. Ironically, Air India, the operator of the crashed aircraft, is charging the highest airfare for Ahmedabad flights which is more than Rs25,000.

On Thursday, Ahmedabad saw one of the most tragic aircraft accidents in the history of India as the London-bound Air India flight AI-171 crashed into the BJ Medical College’s hostel immediately after take-off. The incident killed 241 people travelling onboard including foreign nationals and 12 crew members. 

As the tragic incident has left the entire country shaken to its core, family members and relatives of the victims are travelling to Ahmedabad to provide their blood samples to claim the unidentifiable bodies charred to death. However, even in such an agonising situation, airlines have skyrocketed their airfares to and from Ahmedabad by more than 500%.

While the airfares from Delhi to Ahmedabad during usual days stand between Rs2,800 to Rs4,300, the lowest fare for the flight on June 15 was Rs10,675 by Akasa Air, which went as high as Rs24,027 by Air India. Air India’s fare on the same route for June 16 has inflated to a whopping Rs30,780, marking an increase of 999%. The flights for June17 also fared as high as Rs24,027. Air India’s airfare for Ahmedabad to New Delhi has also increased to as high as Rs25,118 on June 20. 

Similarly, the airfares from Mumbai to Ahmedabad, which is usually fared between Rs2,000 to Rs4,500, has also skyrocketed to Rs5,449 for June 15. IndiGo’s flight for June 16 and June 17 is priced at Rs5,504 whereas Air India’s flight for June19 is as costly as Rs9,198. indiGo’s flight from Ahmedabad to Mumbai for June 15 and June 16 is priced at Rs6,661, recording an increase of 233%.

A travel agent who expertises in airfares, told The Free Press Journal that, “Airlines provide dynamic pricing of their flights which increase or decrease as per the demand on that route. After the recent plane crash a lot of passengers are travelling to and from Ahmedabad, including the relatives of victims, government officials as well as media personnel, which has created a suitable situation for airlines to earn profits.”