Pahalgam terror attack: Airfares from Srinagar for the next two days to Delhi, Mumbai remain steeply priced despite ministry directive

The airfares from Srinagar continue to remain steeply priced for the next two days despite the Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu’s directive to airline operators to keep airfares reasonably priced in the aftermath of the terror attacks in Pahalgam, flight search aggregator Skyscanner showed.

The cheapest direct flight to Delhi from Srinagar on 25 April is an IndiGo flight for ₹9,515, whereas the most expensive flight is a SpiceJet flight for ₹30,343. On the next day, the cheapest available direct flight to Delhi is an Air India flight for ₹7,410 whereas the most expensive is again a SpiceJet flight for ₹16,342.

However, the prices start waning on 27 April, where the cheapest available flight is a SpiceJet flight for ₹6,333, whereas the most expensive is an Air India Express flight for ₹9,704.  The prices continue to wane on subsequent days.

Similarly, for Mumbai, the cheapest available direct flight on 25 April is an Akasa Air flight for ₹9,457, and the most expensive is a SpiceJet flight for ₹29,505. On the next day, the cheapest and the most expensive direct flight to Mumbai is operated by Akasa Air, priced at ₹9,457 and ₹15,383 respectively. On 27 April, prices remain virtually at the same level, with the cheapest available flight operated by SpiceJet for ₹8,129 and the most expensive flight is for ₹13,609, operated by IndiGo.

Ever since the news broke of terrorists gunning down tourists in the meadows near the resort-town of Pahalgam, some 2,00,000 tourists in the valley scrambled to flee the valley. Their escape was compounded by the fact that the Srinagar – Jammu National Highway was closed because of damage caused by inclement weather.

However, following tourists scrambling to escape the valley, the highway has been partially opened in a single-direction, Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah wrote in a post on X.

Naidu, on the other hand, met representative of airline operators, reassuring panic-stricken tourists and their families that he is personally monitoring the situation, in a post on X. “Airline operators have been directed to maintain regular fare levels, ensuring that no passenger is burdened during this sensitive time,” the statement from the ministry read, adding that special evacuation flights — two each for Mumbai and Delhi.