India-UK flight: Rs 3.95 lakh or Rs1.15 lakh

A Secretary in the Government of India on Saturday alerted the ministry of civil aviation about the skyrocketed airfares for destinations between India and the United Kingdom. The fare of British Airways for one way travel from Delhi to London on August 26 is Rs3.95 lakh, according to Google Travel. The cost of ticket between the two cities on other airlines, including Air India and Air Vistara range from Rs1.2 lakh to Rs 2.3 lakh. Sharing screenshots of minimum airfares between Delhi to London for the economy class, Sanjeev Gupta, secretary, raised concern about the high prices during college admission time.

Fare of ₹ 3.95 lakh one way Delhi to London on Aug 26. No, it's not 1st class. It's economy on @British_Airways. @airindiain @airvistara etc. also 1.2 to 2.3 lakh. College admission time! See minimum fare on @GoogleTravel in August. Have alerted Secretary @MoCA_GoI. @JM_Scindia pic.twitter.com/uxFF8dgaLk

— Sanjeev Gupta (@sanjg2k1) August 7, 2021

The official account of Air India replied, “Sir, We are trying to identify the source of these fares. The current fares available on our official website for Delhi London sector is approximately 1.15 L.” Gupta responded by calling the fare “exorbitant” and “unaffordable.”

Even 1.15 lakh is exorbitant and unaffordable for must students seeking admission purely on merit and not on financial strength. I am able to identify perhaps a technical issue in display of those very high fares on travel portals & @GoogleTravel. Will write in some time.

— Sanjeev Gupta (@sanjg2k1) August 7, 2021

Earlier this week, Britain moved India from its “red” to “amber list”, which means fully vaccinated travellers from India will no longer have to go under mandatory 10-day hotel quarantine. While the UK’s decision has come as a relief for the Indian diaspora who had been demanding the easing of travel norms, the pent up demand due to over three months of travel ban and peak student season has led to a steep rise in airfares.