Chennai airfares five times higher than last-minute fare in the wake of Cyclone Vardah

NEW DELHI: Airfares to Chennai on Tuesday surged up to five times higher than usual last-minute fares in the wake of Cyclone Vardah that had hit Tamil Nadu a day before and led to shutdown of the airport and cancellation of all flights to and from the city.

A quick search online at 1 pm threw up the following fares: Delhi-Chennai at Rs 29,143 Mumbai-Chennai for Rs 24,792 and Kolkata-Chennai for Rs 17,283, among others. While these fares were for non-stop flights, a one-stop Delhi-Chennai flight was quoted at more than Rs 52,000.

Industry insiders said last-minute fares usually range between Rs 5,000 and Rs 8,000.

“There were no flights in and out of Chennai on Monday since the city airport was shut, which would have led to a pile-up of passengers. The hike in fares is a clear case of demand-supply mismatch, as a lot of people would be trying to fly back to Chennai to visit their friends and family,” said Sharat Dhall, chief operating officer at Yatra-.com, India’s second largest travel portal.

Flights from Chennai airport resumed on Tuesday morning. The airport had to be shut the day before as high-speed winds and rains lashed the city.