Dharamsala-Delhi airfare hits the roof, touches Rs 18,000

Return journey for tourists, who had come to Dharamsala for year-end vacation, has become dearer. Many tourists complained that the airline companies had increased fares abnormally from flights from Dharamsala to Delhi from January 1, knowing that the tourists have to return back to their jobs in the first few days of January.

The airfares for one-way trip from Dharamsala to Delhi for tomorrow have touched Rs 18,114, said Ashutosh Sharma, a tourist who had come to Dharamsala for year-end vacation. While talking to The Tribune, Ashutosh said that airfare from Dharamsala to Delhi are costlier than return tickets from many South East Asian countries. “It is like looting consumers,” he said.

The high airfares from Dharamsala to Delhi have also been criticised by the hotel and tourism industry of the region. Sanjeev Gandhi, general secretary of the Smart City Dharamsala hotel and restaurant association, said that many tourists who had come from Delhi went complaining regarding high airfares on return journey from Dharamsala to Delhi. “Such airfares are highest in the country and are bringing bad name to Dharamsala tourism industry,” he said.

The airfares on Dharamsala to Delhi route remain highest in the country, especially during peak tourist season. Presently, five flights are operating daily between Dharamsala and Delhi, including two by Alliance Airways, two by Spicejet and one by Indigo.

The Gaggal airport in Kangra is among the busiest airports in Himachal and operates around the year. Presently, the Gaggal airport strip is just about 1,372 m and can only accommodate small 70-seater planes. As only small planes can land here the airfare to the region are among the highest in the country. The airfare to the region sometimes touches as high as Rs 21000 for one-way trip from Dharamsala to Delhi in peak season.

The present government of Himachal has given a push for expansion of Gaggal airport. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has made a budget provision of Rs 2,000 crores for expansion of Gaggal airport. The CM has been saying that expansion of Gaggal airport was must for development of tourism in Kangra valley and other parts of the state.

The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation has planned to expand the Gaggal airport in two phases. In the first phase, the length of the Gaggal airport strip would be increased to 1.9 km while in the phase II it would be expanded to 3.1 km, which would help bigger planes to land here. It is expected to decrease airfares to the region.