The number of passengers has increased but so has the number of flights.

Result: Post-Diwali airfares from Calcutta on the popular routes do not have exaggerated fares this year.

Airline officials and tour operators said the fares from Calcutta to cities like Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi on Monday, when many Calcuttans who had come home for Kali Puja, Diwali and Bhai Phonta will return to their workplaces, are higher than normal but not exorbitant.

On Saturday afternoon, the one-way fare from Calcutta to Bengaluru was around ₹10,000, Mumbai around ₹12,500 and Delhi around ₹11,500.

Tour operators and airline officials said the one-way fares to these cities last year post-Diwali was between ₹16,000 and ₹18,000 and in some sectors, more than ₹20,000.

“This year, the supply has increased more than the demand, compared to last year. Most airlines have added flights to some of the most popular sectors out of Calcutta. The airlines have ordered new aircraft that have started getting added to the fleet this year,” a senior official of an airline told The Telegraph on Friday.

Calcutta airport officials said on average, 420 flights now operate in and out of the airport daily. Last year, around this time, 370 flights would operate daily on average,
said the officials. The number of passengers using the airport daily has gone up from about 55,000 to around 60,000.

“The growth in the number of international flights and passengers has been minimum. Most of the growth has taken place in the domestic sectors,” said an airport official.

A number of flights have been added to sectors like Bengaluru and Mumbai, compared to last year, said airport officials.

The number of daily flights operated by IndiGo to Bengaluru has gone up from nine to 13, said airport sources.

Vistara and Akasa Airlines have also increased their flights between Calcutta and Bengaluru, the sources said.

On the Calcutta-Mumbai route, IndiGo has increased the number of daily flights from six to eight.

SpiceJet had withdrawn its flights from sectors like Bengaluru and Mumbai. This year, before Durga Puja, the airline added a flight each on both routes, said an airport official.

“All these have led to an increase in seats. Also, the presence of more airlines on domestic routes is another factor for the competitive fares,” said the official of an airline.

Driven by competition, several airlines also offered festive discounts, which were not there last year.

The Telegraph had reported how airfares in and out of Calcutta had shot up a day after Cyclone Dana made landfall because the city airport was shut from 7pm on October 24 to 8am on October 25.

More than 300 flights were cancelled and along with that, the Diwali rush had pushed the airfares through the roof. A one-way ticket from Calcutta to Delhi was ₹35,000, while that from Mumbai to Calcutta was almost ₹30,000.

“That was an exceptional scenario. But with all flights operating, the fares are unlikely to go up to that level now,” said an airline official.

According to tour operators, many people going on holidays now prefer nearer international destinations compared to domestic ones.

“The visa-free entry facilities offered by several countries like Thailand and Malaysia give tourists from India the opportunity to make last-minute travel plans to these countries. The cost also comes down,” said Anil Punjabi, national committee member of Travel Agents Federation of India, representing the eastern region.

“Many passengers are also finding new ways of travelling like taking hopping flights to get cheaper fares. Earlier, there would hardly be any passenger taking longer routes,” he said.