Deepavali effect: Chennai to Madurai airfare Rs 17,745; only Rs 11,740 to Dubai

CHENNAI: Making use of the desperation of the people in Chennai and its suburbs to go to their native to celebrate Deepavali that is falling on October 31, airlines have inflated ticket fares to important cities in Tamil Nadu like Madurai, Tiruchy, Coimbatore, etc., by as much as 300-500 per cent.

Such is the game of demand and supply that a flight ticket to Dubai, Kuala Lumpur or Bangkok on October 29 costs lesser than how much it takes to travel within Tamil Nadu!

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For instance, a flight ticket to Madurai, which usually costs Rs 4,300, costs anywhere between Rs 11,749 to Rs 17,745 on Tuesday. One ticket from Chennai to Coimbatore, which costs Rs 3,474 on normal days, is being sold for Rs 7,872-Rs 13,428.

It is the same for airfare to other places on Tuesday, October 29.

Chennai to Thoothukudi: Rs 4,109 on normal days; Rs 8,976 to Rs 13,317.

Chennai to Tiruchy: Rs 2,382 on normal days; Rs 8,211 to Rs 10,556.

Chennai to Salem: Rs 3,300 on normal days; Rs 8,353 to Rs 10,867.

The surge in airfare is also felt on destinations in northern and neighbouring states. Fare on Chennai to Thiruvananthapuram flights has gone up from Rs 3,477 to Rs 6,185 – Rs 18,501.

Also Read: Cancellations by Southern Railway force public to spend 3X for train ticket

Now, compare this to the ticket fare to important international destinations like Dubai and Kuala Lumpur. A ticket on a non-stop flight to Dubai, which lies more than 3,000 km from Chennai, can be bought for Rs 11,740 – lesser than most flights to Madurai, Coimbatore, Tiruchy, etc.

It costs less than Rs 10,000 to fly to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Tuesday, while it is around Rs 13,000 to go to Bangkok, Thailand.