MUMBAI: Indian students studying abroad are bearing the brunt of travel restrictions imposed by India on scheduled airline international flights. The latest comes in the form of higher airfares to return to India during the year-end winter holidays. Parents say that with high demand and short supply, return airfare for travel to India from countries such as the United States, United Kingdom and Canada is currently nearly three times higher than pre-Covid fares.
Students coming to India from America are being hit the most. West Coast. “This year, with Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangkok closed to Indian travelers, students from the west coast of the US are left with no option but to transit through Europe and West Asia,” said a travel agent. On Saturday, the cheapest return fare for return journey starting mid-December-early January on a San Francisco-Delhi non-stop flight started at Rs 2.3 lakh, offered by Air India A cheaper option was a transit via Dubai, which cost Rs 1.9 lakh but took a journey of 25 hours each way. The cheapest fares started at Rs 2.2 lakh on San Francisco-Mumbai return flights, which went to Delhi. Via Air India Transit.
Other fares are also expensive. The cheapest available round fare on New York-Mumbai started at Rs 1.6 lakh and included Dubai Transit and a 23-hour journey each way. The cheapest fare for a non-stop return flight from New York to Delhi starts at Rs 1.7 lakh. Similarly, fares for a Boston-Mumbai round trip started at Rs 1.7 lakh, while Chicago-Mumbai via Dubai was the cheapest option, with fares at Rs 1.94 lakh. Cheapest returns on London-Mumbai non-stop starting at Rs 1.4 lakh on Air India, cheap fares of Rs 1.1 lakh included Dubai Transit. Delhi has better non-stop connectivity, with a Toronto-Delhi non-stop return costing Rs 2 lakh and a Chicago-Delhi non-stop return at Rs 1.8 lakh.
Naveen Bhatia (name changed on request), a parent who splits his time between the UK and India, said he has decided to visit his children in Dubai this winter – one studying in Canada and the other in the US. “From here in the UK it is much cheaper to fly to Dubai than to India,” he said. “If the fare is better I will try to do a round trip from there to India. Currently, a Dubai-Mumbai The return value for the last week of December is Rs 65,700.
Three weeks ago, he booked tickets for the mid-December journey and the January return. The cost of a London-Dubai round trip in economy class is Rs 80,000, while the economy class fare in London-Mumbai starts at Rs 2 lakh.
India suspended scheduled international airline flight operations on March 23 last year.
Students coming to India from America are being hit the most. West Coast. “This year, with Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangkok closed to Indian travelers, students from the west coast of the US are left with no option but to transit through Europe and West Asia,” said a travel agent. On Saturday, the cheapest return fare for return journey starting mid-December-early January on a San Francisco-Delhi non-stop flight started at Rs 2.3 lakh, offered by Air India A cheaper option was a transit via Dubai, which cost Rs 1.9 lakh but took a journey of 25 hours each way. The cheapest fares started at Rs 2.2 lakh on San Francisco-Mumbai return flights, which went to Delhi. Via Air India Transit.
Other fares are also expensive. The cheapest available round fare on New York-Mumbai started at Rs 1.6 lakh and included Dubai Transit and a 23-hour journey each way. The cheapest fare for a non-stop return flight from New York to Delhi starts at Rs 1.7 lakh. Similarly, fares for a Boston-Mumbai round trip started at Rs 1.7 lakh, while Chicago-Mumbai via Dubai was the cheapest option, with fares at Rs 1.94 lakh. Cheapest returns on London-Mumbai non-stop starting at Rs 1.4 lakh on Air India, cheap fares of Rs 1.1 lakh included Dubai Transit. Delhi has better non-stop connectivity, with a Toronto-Delhi non-stop return costing Rs 2 lakh and a Chicago-Delhi non-stop return at Rs 1.8 lakh.
Naveen Bhatia (name changed on request), a parent who splits his time between the UK and India, said he has decided to visit his children in Dubai this winter – one studying in Canada and the other in the US. “From here in the UK it is much cheaper to fly to Dubai than to India,” he said. “If the fare is better I will try to do a round trip from there to India. Currently, a Dubai-Mumbai The return value for the last week of December is Rs 65,700.
Three weeks ago, he booked tickets for the mid-December journey and the January return. The cost of a London-Dubai round trip in economy class is Rs 80,000, while the economy class fare in London-Mumbai starts at Rs 2 lakh.
India suspended scheduled international airline flight operations on March 23 last year.
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