Chennai, Nov 6:
Domestic airfares from Chennai to key southern destinations have skyrocketed multifold ahead of Deepavali on November 8, with high passenger demand exhausting available seats across regular transport networks.
With reserved berths across special government express buses and festival trains completely sold out, commuters have rushed to book airline tickets despite exorbitant pricing. One-way fares for Chennai to Thoothukudi on Friday spiked to Rs 17,363, while flights to Coimbatore surged between Rs 10,000 and Rs 19,000. Similarly, air tickets to Madurai hit Rs 10,700, Tiruchy touched Rs 12,000, and Salem jumped to Rs 12,769.
Airline operators indicated that the elevated fare slabs are likely to persist through Saturday, November 7. In contrast, ticket prices for major trunk routes connecting Chennai with metropolitan hubs like Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Kochi have remained largely stable with minimal festive surges.