Due to increased demand in front of this year's extended Diwali weekend, domestic flight prices have skyrocketed, nearly tripling on major metro routes.
People with knowledge of the situation claim that the price increase has not discouraged travellers and that a rush of reservations has left very few seats available for last-minute sales.
Prior to Diwali on October 24, airfares between Mumbai and Delhi, the most popular route in India, reached a record high of $23,000 on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, a one-way ticket from Delhi to Mumbai for October 21 (Friday) ranged from 12,000 to 29,000 rupees. From 8,000 to 25,500 rupees, one-way airfare from Delhi to Bengaluru was available. On the same routes, the prices for October 22 ranged from $12,000 to $19,500 and from $7,000 to $22,000.
The middle of next week will see high ticket costs, according to numerous travel websites.