Indian carriers have started new flights on Go First’s top routes to partly fill the void created by its exit. Nevertheless, spot fares on these routes have increased by as much as fivefold.
Go First operated 52 flights per week on the Delhi-Ahmedabad route, making it the sixth-busiest route of the airline, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.
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Sat 21 Dec. 2024
After the airline declared insolvency and stopped all services from May 3, Air India introduced 14 new flights per week on the Delhi-Ahmedabad route.
However, the spot fares on the route have jumped by about 400 per cent to Rs 16,585 in the last one month, according to data provided by travel portal ixigo. The rising airfares have become a concern for the civil aviation ministry. It has told the airlines to keep airfares at moderate levels on such routes.
“We have observed the rising airfares on certain routes, such as Delhi-Pune and Delhi-Ahmedabad, where Go First’s exit has created a significant impact,” a senior government official noted.
Go First used to operate 52 flights per week on the Delhi-Pune route in April, according to Cirium.
However, since its exit, none of the airlines have started new flights on this route. As a result, the spot fare on this route has jumped from Rs 5,048 on April 24 to Rs 15,093 on May 24.
The government official said that airlines have been advised to increase flights but they are unable to do much because of paucity of fresh capacity (new planes).
