Last-minute fares on key routes have jumped up to 25% since Thursday when low-cost carrier SpiceJet grounded its Boeing 737 Max fleet, which further curtailed the capacity of the domestic airlines.
Spot fares on trunk routes like Delhi-Mumbai, Delhi-Bengaluru and Delhi-Chennai are up 20-25% since March 13, according to data provided by Yatra.com, when the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (Dgca) ordered grounding of 12 B737 Max aircraft over safety concerns.
While the latest grounding is due to the recent crash of a 737 MAX of Ethiopian Airlines, even earlier carriers like IndiGo, GoAir, Jet Airways, and Air India had grounded a number of their aircraft due to one reason or the other, ranging from financial constraints to technical problems to shortage of pilots.
