Stranded flyers relieved to return amid conflict, but high airfares of special flights a source of concern

Pune: Flyers desperate to return home from countries in West Asia amid the ongoing conflict are paying exorbitant airfares on flights arranged for them by different airlines. Bibvewadi resident Kiran Oswal and his family, who returned to Mumbai on Wednesday morning from Fujairah near Dubai on a SpiceJet flight, paid Rs41,000 per one-way ticket for four people. The family had been stuck in the UAE for a few days after tensions escalated. "It is good to be back, but I have ended up spending Rs1.65 lakh on tickets. The fares were very high but we didn't have a choice either, as we had to come back home. The flight landed in the morning hours of Wednesday and we are on our way to Pune," Oswal told TOI on Wednesday afternoon. Another flyer, who boarded the same flight, said he had to borrow money from relatives and friends to afford the tickets. "We are a family of three, and spent almost Rs1.70 lakh on tickets. I didn't have that kind of money, and had to borrow it. We are happy to be back, but the price was high," said the man, requesting anonymity. NIBM Road resident Vinod Solanki agreed. "I am still in Dubai with my family of five. Upon making enquiries, I found out that return flight fares from here are very high. I was also told about some special chartered services, but their fare is nearly Rs1.5 lakh per person. I plan to travel by road to Oman on a seven-hour trip and catch a flight from there. I am talking to my agent about this option. Airlines are operating from Oman and fares are affordable, too. In such circumstances, our govt needs to introduce some kind of capping on flight fares for Indian carriers," he said. On the Air India website, the fare from Jeddah to Mumbai costs 2,600 SAR (Saudi Riyal), which equals around Rs64,000 per person. One-way flight fare from Sharjah to Delhi (one-stop) on websites of different airlines showed in the range of Rs74,000, while a one-stop flight from Dubai to Delhi showed a fare of almost Rs80,000. Fares of all operational flights from Abu Dhabi to Delhi showed fares ranging from Rs75,000 to Rs80,000. Airline sources said that dynamic pricing was coming into effect due to high demand affecting costs. "The demand is high and at present, limited operations are on. This has resulted in a spike in fares. Once the conditions are more under control and regular flight movements begin, things will normalise again," a source in an airline told TOI, choosing to stay unnamed. TOI sent queries on the same to airlines like Air India and SpiceJet, but an official reply was awaited at the time of going to print on Wednesday evening. They were also asked whether closed airspaces were affecting their operational costs and thereby spiking fares. Nilesh Bhansali, president of the Travel Agents Association of Pune (TAAP), said govt shouldn't need to be reminded repeatedly about fare capping. "This should be a default in case of such emergencies. There should be a law and rule about the same. Repatriation flights should either be free or minimally priced. Why does govt need to be asked time and again by us or passengers?" he said. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Holi wishes, messages and quotes !