Holiday rush triggers surge in airfares from Chennai

CHENNAI: With a three-day holiday, a large number of people from Chennai and its suburbs are travelling to their hometowns and tourist destinations, leading to a huge rush of passengers at the city’s domestic airport.

The state has holidays on August 15 (Independence Day), August 16 (Krishna Jayanti), and Sunday, August 17.

Many residents, looking to make the most of the break, are opting for air travel to save time, as train and bus journeys would consume nearly two days for a round trip.

As a result, domestic flights from Chennai to Madurai, Thoothukudi, Tiruchy, Coimbatore, and Salem are witnessing an unprecedented surge in passenger traffic.

Most flights are sold out, and only a few tickets remain—at prices several times higher than usual.

Despite the steep fares, passengers are booking tickets in large numbers.

On normal days, Chennai–Madurai tickets cost around Rs 4,000, but today they are priced up to Rs 16,769.

Fares on other routes have also shot up sharply:

• Chennai–Thoothukudi: Rs 3,843 → Rs 21,867

• Chennai–Tiruchy: Rs 1,827 → Rs 14,518

• Chennai–Coimbatore: Rs 3,818 → Rs 15,546

• Chennai–Salem: Rs 3,398 → Rs 7,613