Diwali flight fares from Hyderabad to several northern and eastern Indian cities have risen sharply, with one-way tickets to Chandigarh and Patna reportedly reaching about ₹22,000. The fares are now higher than tickets to destinations such as Singapore, Malaysia and Bangkok on some travel dates, creating a serious affordability problem for people trying to return home for Diwali and Chhath.
According to a report by Aaj Tak Business, tickets from Hyderabad to international destinations are available at roughly ₹15,000 to ₹18,000, while some domestic routes are costing up to ₹7,000 more. The comparison is particularly significant for migrant workers, students and families living in Hyderabad who depend on affordable transport to travel to their hometowns during the festival period.
The report said the usual one-way fare from Hyderabad to Chandigarh or Patna is about ₹9,000, but has risen to around ₹22,000 for the Diwali period. The fare for Hyderabad-Jaipur, normally around ₹8,000, has reportedly climbed to approximately ₹21,000. Tickets to Lucknow are also said to have crossed ₹17,000, while fares to Kolkata, Guwahati, Bhopal and Indore have seen substantial increases.
The pressure on airfares is being intensified by limited availability on trains. Long-distance trains are generally the cheapest option for festival travel, but seats become difficult to secure as bookings open and demand rises. For passengers who have to reach their hometowns on specific dates, air travel can therefore become the only practical alternative even when the fare is beyond their normal budget.
Travel agents cited in the report attributed the increase to a widening gap between demand and available seats. Airlines are operating a limited number of flights on several routes, while the number of passengers travelling home rises sharply around Diwali and Chhath. As seats are sold, the remaining inventory is offered at higher prices, particularly for bookings made closer to the travel date.
The fare surge is already visible several weeks before Diwali, according to the report. Travel agents expect prices on some routes to remain under pressure as the festival approaches, although the extent of any further increase will depend on available capacity and booking demand. The report also noted that airfares on several Hyderabad routes were significantly above normal during the Dussehra travel period.
For passengers, the immediate transport challenge is not only the price of flights but the lack of a reliable low-cost alternative. With train tickets difficult to obtain and domestic flight capacity limited on key routes, families travelling during the festival season are facing higher costs to maintain a journey that is often essential rather than discretionary.
