Airfares shoot up due to bad weather

M Aamir Khan

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, November 29

Despite a dull tourism season, airfares have considerably soared up yet again this winter in the Kashmir valley. The ticket prices for domestic and international flights are almost at par.

“I wanted to travel to New Delhi on Wednesday, but when I checked the airfare this afternoon, I was shocked to know that the cheapest ticket was costing me Rs 14,000. Moreover, the cheapest ticket to Delhi for Thursday is costing me Rs 8,000,” said Abdul Rauf, a businessman and frequent traveller. He said usually an air ticket to New Delhi costs less than Rs 3,000.

The Kashmir valley usually faces the problem of soaring airfares during the peak tourist season. Besides tourism sector stakeholders, the state government, too, has urged the Centre many times to tackle the matter, but the issue has so far remained unaddressed.

Even as the tourism sector continues to suffer in the wake of the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on July 8, bad weather is the reason behind the present spike in airfares.

“We usually see high airfares during the peak tourist season. However, this time prices have soared due to weather conditions. Due to poor visibility, we witnessed a week-long disruption in flights from the Srinagar airport. Due to backlog of bookings, we are experiencing a hike in airfares. Once flights start operating as per the routine, ticket prices will come down again,” an airport official said.

Meanwhile, those who have prior bookings, too, are facing problems due to frequent cancellation of flights owing to poor visibility.

“Even though I had booked my ticket weeks in advance, I had to return home from the Srinagar airport on Saturday after the flight got cancelled. Due to heavy backlog, I finally managed to reach Delhi by air today only,” said Altaf Ahmad, a local traveller over the phone after reaching New Delhi.