Iran war: Over 700 flights cancelled, international airfares surge in India

KOLKATA/HYDERABAD: As war between Iran and the US and Israel engulfs the entire Gulf region, one-way economy class fares on European airlines bypassing the Gulf from London to Mumbai soared to about Rs 2.90 lakh, while business class fares for the same flight rose to a staggering Rs 9 lakh.Typically, one-way economy class fares between the two cities range from Rs 20,000 to Rs 40,000, while business class fares range from Rs 1.20 lakh to Rs 2.50 lakh. Air India and IndiGo also operated some flights at record fares.Airlines say the fare increases are partly due to the fact they have to detour around the Gulf, but mainly due to a gap in supply and demand, with more than 700 flights a day canceled due to hostilities. Although Etihad Airways launched evacuation flights and Emirates Airline said it would follow suit on Tuesday (more than 20,000 Indians are stranded in the UAE), both airlines canceled scheduled flights on Monday and Tuesday.Kolkata airport officials said airlines in the Gulf region had announced the cancellation of 20 flights in two days.Roma Subnani plans to travel to Dubai with four family members on Sunday to attend an event. After their flight was cancelled, so was the trip. “We booked with Emirates. We made a refund request but couldn’t get through to customer service,” she said.Travel agents who have booked clients to the Gulf city or to Europe or the United States are advising them to postpone their trips.“Given the current fares, there is no point in traveling to Europe unless there are urgent business commitments,” said Anil Punjabi, president (east) of the Federation of Indian Travel Agents. “It’s not clear when the situation will improve,” said travel agent Manav Soni.Passengers flying from Hyderabad to cities like London and Frankfurt are also facing steep fare hikes. On Tuesday, one-way fares from Hyderabad to London ranged between Rs 65,000 and Rs 90,000, almost double the normal fare for this segment. Travel agencies say fares to German destinations have increased by 200% to 300%.Likewise, long-haul flights to the United States have become more expensive. On Tuesday, a flight from Hyderabad to New York via Ethiopia cost around Rs 1.50 lakh.Meanwhile, air traffic between the UAE and Hyderabad remains severely disrupted. Hyderabad has an average of 5,000 passengers traveling daily between the city and its busiest international hub, the United Arab Emirates. More than 50 flights were canceled at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport on Monday alone.Shariq Siddiqui wrote onAn AI spokesman said: “Flights to North America and Europe will operate according to schedules using alternative routes in available airspace in West Asia, which is expected to increase flight times.”