- Fare rise
- Up to 50% in 15 days
- Priciest
- Delhi-Darbhanga ~Rs 20,000
- Delhi-Patna
- ~Rs 18,000
- CTI demand
- Upper fare cap per route
- Next pressure
- Wedding season from 20 Nov
Flying home for Chhath or a wedding in the next few weeks? Domestic airfares have risen by up to 50 percent in 15 days, with Delhi-Patna tickets touching Rs 18,000. The Chamber of Trade and Industry has written to the Civil Aviation Minister demanding an upper cap on fares. Here is what is happening and how to keep your costs down.
What the CTI survey found
The Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) surveyed fares from Delhi in mid-November and found steep increases: Delhi-Patna at around Rs 18,000, Delhi-Darbhanga around Rs 20,000, Delhi-Mumbai around Rs 15,000, Delhi-Bengaluru Rs 16,000 to 18,000, Delhi-Ahmedabad around Rs 11,000 and Delhi-Hyderabad Rs 11,000 to 15,000. CTI chairman Brijesh Goyal said several of these routes were available at nearly half these prices just days earlier.
What CTI is demanding
CTI has written to Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu with five demands: government action against what it calls excessive peak-season pricing, a maximum fare for each route, a transparent distance-linked fare structure, more flights on busy sectors like Delhi-Patna and Delhi-Bengaluru, and steps to encourage two to three new airlines to increase competition. The wedding season begins on 20 November, which CTI expects will push demand and fares higher.
Why fares are this high
Airfares in India are not set by the government: airlines price dynamically, so fares climb as seats sell out near the travel date. The government capped fares by distance only once, briefly, after the December 2025 disruptions. CTI wants a standing mechanism for every peak season instead.
How to keep your costs down
Book as early as possible, and compare nearby airports and odd-hour departures before paying peak fares. For Bihar travel, check trains alongside: our Chhath special trains update lists extra services on the Delhi-Patna corridor. If your dates are flexible, travelling after the wedding-season rush begins to thin in mid-December is usually cheaper.
We track airfare trends that affect Indian families and update this page when the government responds. Last verified: 14 November 2026 against India Today (14 November) and NDTV Profit (14 November) reports.
A Miranda House graduate and lawyer who traded courtrooms for slow travel. Cheshta travels with the batches we host ourselves, with a soft spot for travelling alongside elders.
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