Air India fares fall across key routes
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Fares on Air India are noticeably lower for both domestic and international destinations since the crash of a 787 Dreamliner aircraft of the Tata Group-owned airline last week.The trend is particularly evident for last-minute bookings for the carrier, with Advance Purchase Days (APD) recording significant drops, showed data analysed from travel booking platform ixigo. The APD metric refers to tickets bought between zero and fifteen days prior to the travel date, a period typically associated with higher fares.The analysis compared average one-way fares for travel scheduled during June 13-19 against those for the preceding period of June 6-12.Internationally, several key routes of Air India experienced reductions. Flights from New Delhi to Kuala Lumpur saw a substantial 16% decrease to ₹11,389. Other international destinations, including Dubai and Sydney, recorded 5% declines, while Melbourne saw a 2% reduction. Fares from Mumbai also fell by 1%.Domestically, the impact was even more pronounced on certain sectors. The Bengaluru-Hyderabad route saw a 24% drop to ₹3,314. Other notable reductions in fares on domestic routes include Bengaluru-Pune (22%), Bengaluru-Chennai (22%), New Delhi-Ahmedabad (21%), and Mumbai-Chennai (21%). Smaller declines were observed on routes like New Delhi-Hyderabad (2%) and Mumbai-Ahmedabad (1%).According to another Online Travel Agency (OTA) source, fares on Air India flights to destinations like Germany, Hong Kong, and Australia have also recorded declines. Conversely, the UK saw an increase in ticket prices.Air India CEO Campbell Wilson Thursday released a statement on the Flight AI171 crash expressing sorrow for the 241 onboard and 34 ground fatalities. He affirmed Air India's cooperation with authorities.Wilson affirmed that the Boeing 787 was "well-maintained". Its last major check was in June 2023, with the next due in December 2025. The right engine was overhauled in March, while the left was inspected in April. "Both the aircraft and engines were regularly monitored, showing no issues before the flight," he said.The crew included "Captain Sumeet Sabharwal," with over 10,000 wide-body hours, and "First Officer Clive Kunder," with over 3,400, Wilson said. Following a directive issued by the civil aviation regulator, Air India is inspecting its fleet of 33 Dreamliner jets. He said checks on 26 planes have been completed.These inspections along with "external factors like airspace closures... and night-time restrictions," have forced the airline to cancel flights. Wilson said Air India will cut international widebody flights by 15% June 20 through mid-July, to provide "more backup aircraft."
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