CHENNAI:  As thousands have started returning to the city after the Pongal holidays, flight fares to Chennai from other cities have spiked due to high demand.

Most of the flight tickets for Sunday have already sold out, as people prefer travelling by flight to avoid the road traffic.

A ticket to the city from Madurai costs up to Rs 17,900. From Tiruchy and Coimbatore, a ticket costs Rs 11,000 each to the city.

A Thoothukudi was 17,000 and from Salem, it’s Rs 10,500.However, tickets to these cities from Chennai were sold at lower prices. Airport officials said that most flights had very few passengers, and the departure terminal was almost empty.

“Passengers should plan their trip a bit earlier and book their tickets two months before the trip to escape from the last-minute surge,” they added.