CHENNAI: Passenger footfall has increased significantly at the Chennai domestic airport, ahead of Vinayaka Chaturthi, which is celebrated across the country on Monday. As the festival falls on Monday, people are getting a three-day holiday from Saturday to Monday.

Many passengers have started travelling to their hometowns from Friday itself to celebrate the festival with their families.

People from Tamil Nadu, and those from northern states living in Chennai, and other parts of the State are travelling to their native places. With many choosing to travel by air, there was a heavy rush at the domestic airport on Friday.

Due to the increased demand, airfares from Chennai to several destinations have gone up sharply. Fares to places including Thoothukudi, Madurai, Tiruchy, Coimbatore, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata have increased by nearly 3-4 times compared to normal fares.

Though the steep increase in airfares has caused concern among passengers, flights continue to be full, especially during the festival days and other holidays, as many want to spend time with their families instead of being stuck on roads for hours amid heavy traffic.