International air travel is expected to be at least two to three times more expensive this winter than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Flights from India to the United Arab Emirates, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada are increasing due to limited ‘bubble’ arrangements and the threat of a new coronavirus variant of concern Omicron.
Until recently, the cheapest flight from Delhi to Toronto, Canada, cost approximately 2.37 lakh rupees.
Air fares have risen since India was removed from Britain’s “red list” just before the admissions season. Due to a combination of low flights and high demand, a return ticket from Delhi to London now costs nearly 1.2 lakh, up from 60,000 previously.
There are no direct flights from India (Delhi airport) to the UAE that do not cost more than $33,000 USD roundtrip. A round-trip ticket used to cost around $20,000 per person.
The average price of a round-trip flight from India to the United States has risen from $90,000 to $1.7 lakh (from Delhi). Flights to and from Chicago, Washington, DC, and New York City have skyrocketed by a factor of a hundred. Flying business class has nearly doubled in price, to nearly 6 lakh rupees.
