Stir pushes airfare from Punjab to Delhi by four times

LUDHIANA: The farmers’ agitation near the state border of the national capital is proving to be a hurdle for those who have to travel to Delhi, especially businessmen and those having to fly to other destinations in India and abroad.
With trains being cancelled and uncertainty about clearance of roads, people are preferring to take flights from Ludhiana and nearby airports like Chandigarh and Amritsar.Consequentially, this has pushed up rates of air tickets to Delhi to over Rs 10,000 from the earlier Rs 2,500.
In a double whammy for air passengers booked on international flights, they have to incur extra baggage charges, running into several thousand in penalty as 30 kg luggage is allowed on international sector , whereas the limit for domestic flights is only 15 kg.
Gurpreet Chawla, president of Micro and Small Travel Agents Association, Ludhiana, said, “Due to the farmers’ agitation near Delhi, trains have been cancelled and there is no clarity as to whether or not the roads are clear for travel. Therefore, international travellers and people who have to travel to other states via Delhi are now preferring to fly by air to the capital in order to meet their schedule. Due to this there has been a spurt in demand for air tickets to Delhi from all airports in the state, including Ludhiana, Chandigarh and Amritsar, leading to an increase in fares.”
The air ticket from Ludhiana to Delhi, which otherwise costs around Rs 2,500, is now available for Rs 5,715 for December 1. Similarly, the air ticket from Amritsar to Delhi for Tuesday is available for Rs 8,155 compared to the usual Rs 3,000. From Chandigarh, the rate of ticket to Delhi for December 1 is over Rs 10,000 for a direct flight from the usual range of around Rs 2,700.