As Indians gear up to travel during the upcoming holiday season, a sharp spike in domestic airfares has left travellers grappling with unexpected financial burdens. Mumbai, a key travel hub, has witnessed some of the steepest increases, with ticket prices on certain routes surging by almost five times. The Mumbai Grahak Panchayat has raised alarm over these sudden fare hikes, lodging complaints with the Ministry of Consumer Affairs to highlight the soaring costs on routes serviced by major airlines.

Ticket prices for flights from Mumbai to popular destinations have surged to more than double the regular price and in some sectors, the prices have surged to triple, quadruple or even more, than the regular amount. Sirish Deshpande of the Mumbai Grahak Panchayat told mid-day, “Airlines are arbitrarily managing their fares. They jack up the prices during the festival season taking advantage of the travel demand. Our question to the consumer affairs ministry and civil aviation ministry is very simple—is there any authority to regulate airfares? What is the Ministry of Civil Aviation doing to regulate the fares?”