Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: The ongoing operational crisis at IndiGo has caused massive disruption for thousands of passengers, and flight cancellations over the last three days have crossed 2,500. As the largest domestic airline remains crippled due to technical issues and crew shortage, rival carriers appear to be capitalising on the situation, resulting in an unprecedented airfare surge.
Domestic Routes Become Costlier Than London And Paris Flights
With IndiGo holding more than 60% of India’s domestic aviation market, its grounding has collapsed price stability across major routes. Fresh data from travel portals and booking platforms shows a dramatic spike in spot fares, especially on routes where IndiGo has traditionally dominated. Tickets that normally cost ₹6,000–₹8,000 are now being sold for ₹50,000–₹60,000. Kolkata, Mumbai, Udaipur, Patna and Delhi are among the worst-affected sectors, with reports of up to 800% price inflation.
Dynamic Pricing Algorithm Sparks Airfare Explosion
Economic experts say the crisis is not just about cancellations, but also about how dynamic pricing reacts to sudden demand. When IndiGo cancelled hundreds of flights in a single day, thousands of seats disappeared from the system instantly. With limited capacity at Vistara, Air India and other airlines, passengers rushed to available flights, creating a major demand spike. Algorithms then pushed fares to the highest possible slab automatically — turning a ₹7,000 Delhi-Mumbai ticket into a ₹70,000 purchase, and a ₹5,000 Delhi-Patna fare into over ₹47,000.
